Winter Watercolor

In winter, when green is no longer the dominant color of the landscape, colors that flashed brightly go mute. The trees that still cling to a few leaves are mostly rust-colored, or perhaps even dull brown. But as you look you begin to see faint color, muted to be sure, but color nonetheless. Many think winters are mostly black and white but for the serious observer there is abundant color.

"Sherman Hill, Winter," wc/ink on paper, about 3.5x5

Last Saturday all of us in the sketch group elected outdoor scenes. Like the rest, I sketched and painted in the warmth of my car. You can see that many different colors are there--even the distant, silhouetted trees have distant hues. This is the foot of the old neighborhood called Sherman Hill, where I often work outdoors.