Winter Scotch - A New Name

This little painting now has a new name! Usually, I have no trouble thinking up good names for paintings. In fact, often they pop into my head as soon as I see the reference photo. Not so this one. After trying many word associations, the combination "winter scotch" came to mind. How perfect, I thought, since my horse's "show name" is Scotch Bar Lochinvar! Then I thought about how warm inside a glass of Scotch whiskey makes one feel, and that made the connection complete. Warm scotch; cold landscape.

After living with this new name for two days, I decided it was a keeper.

Yesterday was spent painting the background and having fun again with colors in the snow. However, I've already decided that the sky is too busy and must be given a more uniform tone. I'm not entirely happy with the snow, either. But, I LOVE the shadow with its blues and lavenders. It works well.

Since the painting is too wet to work on today, my studio time will be spent reading my art books on how to render snow. You may wonder why I didn't do this before beginning the painting, and the reason is simple. My perfectionist nature usually dictates that I learn how to paint something before starting it which often stifles the urge to paint NOW! This time, I decided to just go ahead and see what I could learn on my own during the process of painting without having to resort to books.

Last night I rode the "real" Scotch with my friends at the barn for our usual Thursday night group ride. The painting of Bard was delivered to his owner, and it was declared a success by all in attendance. In fact, Bard's owner teared up with emotion which is always a big reward for me, letting me know that I captured the essence of this horse and brought joy to his owner.