There’s something magical about walking near the water at dusk—especially along the backwaters of the Mississippi River. On a recent walk down a quiet biking trail, I was struck by the warm, hazy atmosphere. The evening light had a glowing quality, thanks in part to the haze drifting down from the Canadian wildfires. The soft golden tones and the stillness of the landscape stayed with me—and that’s where the inspiration for my latest painting began.
I’m working on a 22 x 28-inch canvas in acrylic, a size that gives me enough space to play with depth and light. To start, I laid down a yellow-orange underpainting to capture the warmth I felt that evening. This base gives a gentle glow to everything that follows, almost like the light behind the memory.
Next, I blocked in the darker shapes of the trees and lower foliage. For that, I mixed blues with touches of orange—leaning on the contrast to build some early structure in the composition. The shadowy areas started to take form, grounding the piece.
The sky, of course, had to be something special. I created a blend using cerulean blue and Prussian blue with white, then added just a dash of dioxazine purple to echo the moodiness of the haze. It’s subtle, but it gives the sky a dreamy, almost surreal quality that matches the evening I remember.
This is just the beginning—there’s still much to refine, layer, and bring to life. Stay tuned as I share more progress in the coming days. I’m excited to see where this painting takes me—and I hope you’ll follow along.