A blessing for the whole day ...

An early morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.

HENRY DAVID THOREAU

An early morning cup o’ joe, followed by a walk, followed by another cup o’ joe, is a blessing for the whole day.

KAREN MATHISON SCHMIDT

SOLD

Expectation  © 2013 Karen Mathison Schmidt, artist

36 x 36 x 2 inches • oil on 2" deep cradled GessobordTM

private collection • Elk Grove, California

The inspiration for this was a road winding through one of the old neighborhoods in town. I changed the curve of the road in the foreground to suit the composition better, and somewhere during the painting progress the foliage beyond the far curve became a glimpse of a morning mist-covered lake.
Artistic license, you know.

 I’ve been studying the California impressionist paintings of William Wendt -- how he simplified the shapes and color of the landscape, and used large, bold brushstrokes -- and trying to incorporate some of what I’ve been learning into my art.
I absolutely LOVED painting this large size! 

Here are some close-up details:

 This part kind of reminds me of stained glass.

Loved doing these big brushstrokes ...

Happy Painting!