Sanderlings

Sanderlings

watercolor

8 x 12 inches

©Ann Thompson Nemcosky

available

This piece was painted for the Seaside Challenge on the Daily Paintworks site, where I have many works available for sale. It's from a photo where I captured these little shore birds as they were running back and forth with the tide looking for tasty morsels in the surf. I had always thought these little shore birds were sandpipers, but when looking them up on my bird ID app, I discovered they are actually called Sanderlings.

On The Way Home

On The Way Home

watercolor

6 x 8 inches

©Ann Thompson Nemcosky

available

This painting began as a much larger composition. I would work on it a bit then set it aside to ponder where it was going. As I worked I realized that this part, what now remains, was what the painting really was about. So I removed all that was not essential and am happy with the final result. It's about that light where the road crests over the hill, after you travel through the dappled shadows of the trees. Sometimes the simple statements are the best solution.

Sunflowers

Sunflower

watercolor

6 x 6 inches

©Ann Thompson Nemcosky

available

For Ellen

watercolor

6 x 6 inches

©Ann Thompson Nemcosky

I worked on two paintigs of sunflowers this week, a sort of last tribute to summertime here in our southern mountains. The top sunflower painting was inspired by sunflowers brought home from the market that graced our summer table. The sunflower below came from and image captured of sunflowers growing in our garden. We did not plant them there. Someone, or rather something else did the planting, most likely from the seeds from our bird feeder. But we enjoyed those sunny blooms all the same.

Summer Afternoon

Summer Afternoon

watercolor

8 x 12 inches

©Ann Thompson Nemcosky

available

Here is one more in my mountains in summer series. There are few things as fine as a summer afternoon, especially here in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The cloud shadows creeping over the hill and framing the sunlit fields in the distance inspired me to paint this image. Again, working with shape and color, I also liked the directional pull of the hedgerows that created larger shapes with dynamic diagonal lines. Our season of summer afternoons is nearly behind us now, but it is nice to have those moments captured with paint.

Summer afternoon - summer afternoon; 

to me those have always been the two most beautiful words 

in the English language.  

-Henry James

Endive Basket

Endive Basket

watercolor

8 x 8 inches

©Ann Thompson Nemcosky

available

Wanting a challenge of a different kind, I chose this image from our local farmers' market to paint. I wanted to see if I could carry over those lessons learned from painting landscapes, about finding the larger shapes and not worrying so much about the details. Of course the basket itself was extremely challenging in that it needed enough information to read "basket" and has lots of little shapes. I enjoyed simplifying the produce with high contrast shapes to express the brightness of the sunlight. And that patterned cloth with sunlight peeking through into the shadow from the basket was fun to paint. Our farmers' market is a visual feast of color, texture, and light, and when I go I enjoy collecting images to paint almost as much as selecting produce to cook and eat.

Summer Light

Summer Light

watercolor

8 x 10 inches

©Ann Thompson Nemcosky

available

Depending on the weather, sometimes there is a softness to the light in summer, and that is what I was after with this painting. The exploration of shape and color continues with this series about our Southern mountains in summer.

Summer Day

Summer Day

watercolor

8 x 10 inches

©Ann Thompson Nemcosky

available

Continuing with my exploration of color and shape in response to the landscape, I am finding much inspiration from our mountains this summer. I enjoy going at these paintings with a bigger brush, while saving the smaller brushes for those smaller bits to fill in at the end, and trying very hard to keep those first brushstrokes fresh and undisturbed.

Midsummer

Midsummer

watercolor

8 x 10 inches

©Ann Thompson Nemcosky

available

Whew! What a relief to be posting again. My old laptop finally had enough so a replacement was necessary. While waiting for the new machine to arrive I did a lot of painting. And fortunately, knowing my old  laptop was on its last legs I had nearly everything backed up before it quit altogether. So now I have a backlog of work to post!

I am working on more expressive interpretations with my paintings and one way I am doing that is focusing on the larger shapes in the composition as well as simplifying the details, And color. I enjoy pushing the expressive limits of color to get to the feeling of a place or scene. This painting comes from that exploration inspired be our local Blue Ridge mountains at the height of summer.