I proudness this view after hours of driving around Old Mission Peninsula. The break in the trees that revealed a small horizon of the East Arm Grand Traverse Bay caught my eye. The large shapes of the trees and shadows became the driving force for how I wanted to compose the painting. From there I spent most of the process trying to convey the character of each tree and the subtleties of color and texture in the field. I started the painting in the morning on Tuesday and then returned to finish it on Wednesday at the same time. I met a new plein air painter from Detroit on Tuesday named June who joined me on Wednesday while I worked on the painting. June painted a similar view with watercolors. While we were painting a woodworker named Pete, who has a shop down the street, came to see our work and shared some of his personal history with this area. Both mornings were lovely with warm breezes blowing through the fields.
