What was better as a child than a snow day? Now it doesn’t apply to me but the memories still warm my jaded heart. I just came back from my morning hike, impressive amount of snow coming down. The National Forest trail seems a little treacherous and the weather slightly dangerous. It felt great getting exercise and just a little thrilling. I take the thrills where I can find them these days.
Now I am back in the studio painting. I will be posting new work here soon.
This photo was taken 5 weeks ago, much warmer days. Now I am wearing layers and a stocking cap in the studio. Acrylic paint dries much more slowly with these temperatures which is a benefit of the season!
This is the painting I had been building to with my 10″ studies of the Kootenai Valley. There is a mighty and powerful river there but I was entranced with the small trickling streams and ditches. Cold but amazing place. I wanted to stay until dark but when we nearly got the car stuck leaving seemed like a pretty good idea!
In North Idaho winter is a very real season. I love to be in the studio working this time of year! I don’t feel guilty about being inside, and it’s such a beautiful view. I decided to capture a little of the winter feel in these small paintings. I will probably do a couple larger paintings on the theme soon.
I hope everyone is staying warm!
These images were taken along the shores of Lake Pend Oreille. A beautiful and giant lake in the the northern portion of the Idaho panhandle!
brian sostrom 