Painting with the seasons

Sun soaked beaches, glittering water. The blue of the sky contrasted with the vibrant yellow of lemons and the fresh green of abundant foliage. Oranges that peep out from emerald green leaves like jewels from the folds of satin ball gowns. The palette of summer inspires paintings of the sea, capturing shades from deep blue to turquoise of the waters changing depths, punctuated with foam. It thrives on the bright green of meadows full of poppies or cows, depending on the location. Golden sunsets and hazy blue mountains.

Contrast these colours to those of the winter palette, the dark green of fir trees, blue greys of smoke rising from faint chimneys that emerge from roofs blanketed in glittering white snow. The air has a crisp cold quality, captured in cold blues, greys and whites, while inside a warm, yellow light bathes the deep reds of mulled wine and apples, the browns of wood, chopped and ready to be added to the fire, and the many blues, reds, yellows, and whites reflected off of glass and silver in the twinkling candle light.

The very atmosphere of a season, the air and the angle and strength of the sun contribute to the prominence of these colour schemes. And it is for that reason that I tend to paint with the seasons, often abandoning a piece for months before one day picking it back up, wondering why I had left it so long, only to discover that it was once again 'in season'. There are people who change their wardrobes or home decorations by seasons- I change my palette.

And as is so common of the human experience I find that I continually reinvent the wheel, year after year, by assembling an inspirational collection of colour, textures, and tones to launch me into that new season. Everything from produce to magazines are fair game and as the first few weeks of each new quarter of the year progress, I add to my visual library of colour. To me it is not about capturing specific individual objects, items or even colours. It is about creating a feeling- a visual collage that says, 'Autumn' or 'Summer' as the case may be. Scanning this vast database, the eyes pick out common colours and tones piecing together the collection that will become the inspiration behind the work of the season.

And so I am sharing my collection of inspiration with you today. Are you inspired by the season or do you have favorite colours or motives you return to throughout the year? I would love to hear in the comments.