This little painting from the Tihonet drawing (8" x 10") is on board and gold leaf. The gold-leaf does a lot of the work in creating light. I probably over-worked the entire tree area and should have relied on the gold-leaf more. I'm still experimenting with format for these. I think I prefer the grids.

The area of Massachusetts I live in is rich with cranberry bogs. The bogs are often located near a significant water source because bogs are flooded to protect them from frost and, in some cases, for harvesting. One such water source is Tihonet Pond. This sketch is of what I think is a drainage ditch from the pond. My hand has progressed enough that I can use it to draw and paint.

Left Hand Self-Portrait with Bandage

Left Hand Self-Portrait

Left Hand Self-Portrait. I've had surgery to release my carpal tunnel. For the last year it has become more and more compressed. Lately, I could only paint for about 10 minutes before numbness and cramping took over. So,I cannot use my right hand for 2 weeks.

After looking at this for a few days, I decided to increase some contrast in the sky below the large cloud. I also did the same in the ground; really pushing the light areas where the sun broke through. I think I would like to paint this again in a larger scale (approx. 30" x 40") to see how the drama of the cloud views.

I really stuck with the wash and continued to work fast and loose. I'm satisfied that I reached my goal of avoiding tight detailed elements.