Frosty Morning, Just Before Sunrise
“Frosty Morning, Just Before Sunrise”, 2012, 17.25″ x 9″, pastel © Bernadette E. Kazmarski
It looks like this out there this morning.
The coldest, frostiest mornings always seem to come in January, right after all the warmth and color of the holiday season. I painted this just one week shy of two years ago in January 2012, standing at my window to sketch the basics but finishing from a photo, the light so fleeting, but I look at this view each day and know the details in all seasons. This morning’s hazy frosty look with the valley in shadow but the bright sky was very inspiring. I decided to finally do this sketch that I’ve been visualizing for years.
Not just the colors of a snowy, frigid morning, but the steam rising from all the chimneys were part of the inspiration. I’m not sure why, but seeing the steam rise over the neighborhoods and town on a frosty morning has always had a sense of both melancholy and security for me. As I watched the sun rise and the day grow light, photographing as it went, it seemed everyone’s furnace turned on at the same time and I knew I had to paint this scene.
The four houses across from me I’ve sketched a number of times before, but in this case I’ve also included what is Main Street in Carnegie off to the left, the little collection of square-cornered things are the buildings there with steam rising just as well.
The one element I did leave out was the row of trees in my back yard which were just featured in a dawn photo the other day. They were just too chaotic and detailed, but really when I visualized the scene I realized my visualization had left them out. There is plenty of interest here without them. You can also see a portion of this scene in a frosty photo from last year before the heavy snowfall and ice knocked down a number of trees on the left, and in another snowy scene from this same vantage point. “Snow at Night”.
This painting is done in hues of only four colors, a Prussian blue which is a cool blue tending toward slate blue, haze blue that is a warmer color with a red tint and has elements of violet, and one shade each of yellow and pink.
This was one of those times when the photograph just wasn’t going to work.
Prints of this painting
“Frosty Morning” traveled to its final home over the holidays this year, to a friend “just north of us” in Canada. I offer a variety of prints of this painting, as digital, giclee or on canvas. Visit my Etsy shop to see the options and purchasing information.
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Sketch: Frosty Morning, Just Before Sunrise
“Frosty Morning, Just Before Sunrise”, 17.25″ x 9″, pastel © Bernadette E. Kazmarski
It looks like this out there this morning.
I’ve always liked this view out my back window, and this morning’s hazy frosty look with the valley in shadow but the bright sky was very inspiring. I decided to finally do this sketch that I’ve been visualizing for years.
The colors in this aren’t entirely accurate plus certain parts of it smeared when I put in into my scanner, so I may try photographing it tomorrow and replacing this image if the colors are more accurate. I began it first thing then put it aside as the light changed, later working from the photo I’d taken and just from my visualization. It’s 10″ tall x 18″ wide.
Not just the colors of a snowy, frigid morning, but the steam rising from all the chimneys were part of the inspiration as well, I’m not sure why, but when everyone’s furnace turned on at the same time is when I knew I had to paint this.
The four houses across from me I’ve sketched a number of times before, but in this case I’ve also included what is Main Street in Carnegie off to the left, the little collection of square-cornered things are the buildings there with steam rising just as well.
The one element I did leave out was the trees in my back yard which were just featured in a dawn photo the other day. They were just too chaotic and detailed, and when I visualized the scene I realized my visualization had left them out. There is plenty of interest here without them. You can also see a portion of this scene in a frosty photo from last year before the heavy snowfall and ice knocked down a number of trees on the left.
This painting is done in hues of only four colors, a Prussian blue which is a cool blue tending toward slate blue, haze blue that is a warmer color with a red tint and has elements of violet, and one shade each of yellow and pink.
This was one of those times when the photograph just wasn’t going to work.
Frost
Frost on the Picnic Table
Sparkling frost covered everything a few mornings ago, coating the old picnic table with its pile of dry leaves with diamond dust.
In the summer I sit here for lunch to get away from the heat, and even in spring and fall I’ll carry my lunch out here to enjoy the first few or last few warm sunny days in my backyard.
The frost puts an end to that, but what a sparkling, beautiful way to go!
How’s the Frost on the Pumpkin? 2011
Frost on the Pumpkin
A nice closeup of frost coating one of the little pumpkins I left outside, using the dramatic angled morning light with the deep shadows and heavily hued highlights.
And while we’re at it, here’s one of those leaves in the grass. This was surprisingly hard to catch because the frost melted nearly as soon as the sun hit it. I guess it was more protected near the ground than it was higher up.
Frost on Leaf
Sketch: Frosty Morning, Just Before Sunrise
“Frosty Morning, Just Before Sunrise”, 17.25″ x 9″, pastel © Bernadette E. Kazmarski
I’ve always liked this view out my back window, and this morning’s hazy frosty look with the valley in shadow but the bright sky was very inspiring. I decided to finally do this sketch that I’ve been visualizing for years.
The colors in this aren’t entirely accurate plus certain parts of it smeared when I put in into my scanner, so I may try photographing it tomorrow and replacing this image if the colors are more accurate. I began it first thing then put it aside as the light changed, later working from the photo I’d taken and just from my visualization. It’s 10″ tall x 18″ wide.
Not just the colors of a snowy, frigid morning, but the steam rising from all the chimneys were part of the inspiration as well, I’m not sure why, but when everyone’s furnace turned on at the same time is when I knew I had to paint this.
The four houses across from me I’ve sketched a number of times before, but in this case I’ve also included what is Main Street in Carnegie off to the left, the little collection of square-cornered things are the buildings there with steam rising just as well.
The one element I did leave out was the trees in my back yard which were just featured in a dawn photo the other day. They were just too chaotic and detailed, and when I visualized the scene I realized my visualization had left them out. There is plenty of interest here without them. You can also see a portion of this scene in a frosty photo from last year before the heavy snowfall and ice knocked down a number of trees on the left.
This painting is done in hues of only four colors, a Prussian blue which is a cool blue tending toward slate blue, haze blue that is a warmer color with a red tint and has elements of violet, and one shade each of yellow and pink.
This was one of those times when the photograph just wasn’t going to work.
How’s the Frost on the Pumpkin?
Frost on the Pumpkin
A nice closeup of frost coating one of the little pumpkins I left outside, using the dramatic angled morning light with the deep shadows and heavily hued highlights.
And while we’re at it, here’s one of those leaves in the grass. This was surprisingly hard to catch because the frost melted nearly as soon as the sun hit it. I guess it was more protected near the ground than it was higher up.
Frost on Leaf
Frost
Frost on the Picnic Table
Sparkling frost covered everything a few mornings ago, coating the old picnic table with its pile of dry leaves with diamond dust.
In the summer I sit here for lunch to get away from the heat, and even in spring and fall I’ll carry my lunch out here to enjoy the first few or last few warm sunny days in my backyard.
The frost puts an end to that, but what a sparkling, beautiful way to go!
‘Twas a Cold and Frosty Morning
Frost on Grass
Frosty mornings, though typically sunny, are always cold, sometimes bitter cold, but that haze of white in the air, the way chimney smoke lingers against the horizon, in no hurry as it slowly billows away from the chimney’s silhouette, and the tiny rainbow diamond sparkles on every object make me forget the cold—like this morning as I ran around the back door with slippers and no coat photographing the beauty of a frosty morning.
Frost-edged Leaf
Looking closely, it coats the world in a thin rime of sparkling white as if it’s been coated in sugar; looking even closer, or seeing it on a window, you can even see the crystals.
Frost-tinged Wood
This was the first beautiful place I noticed, the wood of the railing on the steps to my deck and the way the frost outlined the grain of the wood. I applied my cross-screen filter here, though it’s barely apparent.
Today 