Tuesday, December 5, 2006

Snow! Finally.



Lavender Light, 2005, Oil on Panel, 5x7






So I did pretty well in the studio yesterday. I decided to stop thinking and worrying about my palette and just put the colors down that seemed right. It was great to have feedback from you guys about how my paintings don't seem to be green or yellow, that the dominant colors are the blues, pinks and purples. So thank you, because hearing that was extremely helpful.

I wouldn't say I was particularly productive however. I managed to get color down on two pieces, but I was distracted by a heated conversation on another blog. I behaved badly and out of character there and am terribly embarrassed about it, so I am not going to link it (I edited out my worst comment, anyway), but I have made my apologies and will be much more careful in the future. However, the distraction may have helped me a bit from obsessing on my color issues, so maybe it wasn't all bad. I sure felt awful last night though!

But today is a new day, and I have to say that I am very happy about the snow that has finally arrived. While it was nice to have such warm weather in November (which gave me endless opportunities to clean up my flower garden, none of which I took advantage of-they are still a mess) I felt uneasy about it as well. Like many, I have my suspicions about the strange weather patterns of late and so the delayed winter feels bittersweet to me. I was comforted this morning by the sound of the plow and the white reflective light coming through our windows. I am skipping the spin bike today. I will bundle up and go for a walk instead.

I am probably one of the only people in America who loves the shorter days and cold and snowy nights. I love to snuggle up in our softly lit farmhouse, eat dinner when it's dark and then curl up early in bed with the kids, talk, read and tuck them in. Then later I watch TV and knit or read, with the wind and snow blowing outside. I love all of that.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Glad you are feeling a bit better, Tracy. This painting is lovely, lovely. So soft and mysterious.

Yep, I love the snuggley feeling of short cold winter days and long even colder winter nights!

That's why its so hard to get into Christmas mood Down-under ... how can one take Christmas seriously in the middle of Summer?????

Lisa Call said...

Tracy - woohoo - snow! Enjoy - I love it when it snows (especially when it snows enough I get to stay home from work)

Lesly - we spent 1 winter in New Zealand - it never did feel like Christmas - we were tent camping on the beach. Very unchristmas like in my mind. Although it was even weirder when the kids were doing fall art projects in school for easter.

Anonymous said...

Winter has never been my favorite season. It is not the cold or the snow that I mind but the lack of sunshine. Here, along the Lake Michigan shore our winters are gray and dreary. When we do get some sunshine I will go out and just revelle in it.

Tracy Helgeson said...

Thanks so much Lesly.

It would seem quite odd to have Christmas in the summer. I can't even imagine it! What is the winter weather like down there?

Lisa, Yes, everybody here, except the chickens, is pretty happy about it. Takes a lot for us to get a snow day up here though. The crews are very efficient!

Ed, sorry to hear the lack of sunshine affects you-as it does so many people. I am kind of the opposite though. We lived in Utah for ten years and it was sunny all summer which just drove me nuts. By August I was a shut-in. I like a little drama in my weather.

Lisa Call said...

Chickens - yes Tracy - I have been waiting and waiting for an update on the chickens. I think last we heard was your first egg (or did I miss something?).

Tracy Helgeson said...

Lisa, Yes I am sure that you and so many others have been anxiously waiting to hear updates about our chickens:-) I have been meaning to do one-just trying to get a few good pictures. Maybe in the next few days.