After I posted about my “off” painting day, I went into my kitchen and saw this view of shadows on the snow in the backyard. I love this view from my kitchen window. In summer it is deck furniture, pots,  and flowers all along the back fence, and in winter it is shadows and snow. I like the symmetry of the deck railings and how they frame the view. It was a spur of the moment decision when we were building the deck to put a second set of steps down right there and I am very glad we did, even though it meant a bit of extra work for my dad.

So then the paints came out and I was madly painting, not with the watercolour pens but with my regular watercolours and brushes, and it felt so good! I love working with the pens, but it does feel like I’m learning a whole new medium. It’s good to get back to doing what I know. I’ve been meaning to paint this view for a while, and I have taken many photos of it, but I am just not as inspired to paint from photos. So on this day I finally did it–I set my paints up and painted the view while sitting on my kitchen counter. And let me tell you, nothing makes me feel so old as unfolding my legs and climbing down off the counter after sitting there painting for an hour. This photo is a bit dark, but here is my uncomfortable painting set up.