Stillness of Winter, oil on canvas, 24 x 30

After what seemed like weeks with little to no snow, the hope of a mild winter has indeed faded and given way to thoughts of a snow shovel, snow blower and yes, even spring. The snow is falling as I write and has been so for several hours. There is a softness to the tender grays I can see in the trees outside of my studio window. When the snow stops, the gray skies will hopefully give way to a clear, bright winter blue sky and the snow clinging to the trees will glisten in the bright light. This painting is somewhat related to the painting in my last post. It is of the Poultney River, but closer to Middletown Springs, Vermont. It depicts the bright sunny light radiating from the snow after a fierce storm. This painting was a true challenge, but thoroughly enjoyable. I hope you will enjoy it as well.

As part of a group of other snow paintings, this painting will be on display with the Bryan Memorial Gallery through February 27 in Jeffersonville, Vermont.

Stillness of Winter
oil on canvas
24 x 30

Today's Legacy
Bryan Memorial Gallery
180 Main Street
Jeffersonville, VT 05467
www.bryangallery.org
January 21 through February 27, 2011

Frosty Morning Along the Poultney River, oil on canvas, 20 x 24

It has been a very long time since my last post to this blog. For the past several weeks I have been teaching a series of painting workshops in New Zealand; what a truly, lovely part of the world. I so enjoyed my time there and very much enjoyed every moment with the participants of my classes. Home for a few days to get the peas and lettuce planted and off to Michigan to teach another workshop. So this will truly be my last winter posting for a long while! This piece is again of my beloved Poultney River, only a bit further down the river than in some of my usual painting places. It had snowed the night before and the snow was heavy in the trees. The beautiful and soft morning light seemed to cast a pale lavender tone throughout the entire scene and I tried to balance the cool morning, heavy snow and the early morning light in very cool tones of lavenders and blues. I am so eager to get back out into the field and very eager to work on some paintings with the spring greens. The light is lovely this time of year with little to no humidity. Guess before I head out, I better plant a few more rows in the garden. Happy Spring!

Frosty Morning Along the Poultney River
oil on canvas, 20 x 24
for purchase inquiries, please contact me directly
www.andreworr.com
artsteph1@aol.com

Last Snow of the Season, oil on canvas, 12 x 16

Seems as though I have been burning the candle at both ends and maybe even in the middle last couple of weeks. I haven't had a chance to post as often as I would like. At any rate, after what seemed like a winter of very little snow, in this part of the country, we finally had a good storm a few weeks ago. I had an opportunity to get out on a warm sunny day and this piece is the result. It will be my one of my entries into a show co sponsored by the Bennington Center for the Arts, The Bryan Memorial Gallery and the Nature Conservancy. The area where I painted this piece is a lovely spot along the Poultney River, right near the New York border. I have just recently discovered the Nature Conservancy and am amazed by the concept of the preservation of natural habitat for plants, animals and for the enjoyment and respect by all.

Last Snow of the Season
oil on canvas
12 x 16
please contact me directly for purchase details
artsteph1@aol.com
www.andreworr.com

Along a Winter Morning Walk, 16 x 20, oil on canvas

While the rest of the country has seen some record breaking snow falls, in this part of Vermont we have seen relatively little in recent weeks. Finally, a few days ago we had a nice snowfall. I had some time the morning after the big storm and armed with my camera and sketch book, I went out for about an hour or two and took a large amount of photos as well as made several sketches. While I love working outdoors, plein air, I think sometimes an approach of spending time in nature, observing, watching, recording with pencil and paper are equally as important. This painting is the result of some of these direct observations from that day. I had walked down a road towards the Poultney River and when I turned around I saw the beautiful light streaming through the snow laden trees.
For purchase inquires please contact me directly.
Andrew Orr
artsteph1@aol.com
www.andreworr.com