Lobster Pound Aeration Dec 2012

This scene near Billings boat yard attracted me for its muted tones and colors.  I like the pattern of the trees, the bright whites of the foam and ice, the character of the buildings, the raw strength of the rocks and ledges.  What's not to like.  There were some challenges in this piece to paint like the various gradations of light reflected on water, and the muted colors of the grass, dock, buidings.  I make all my greys by mixing primary colors which I think gives them more life to look at, but the quite nuetral gray of the shack was a tight rope act.  It is a fine balance to keep the gray from getting to warm or cool in color.  To make a light gray in watercolor is to use mostly water, and that is a whole discipline of its own.  I had fun doing this one and felt I learned more about subtlety in my work.