Anticipating Fall Near Taos_6x8

"Anticipating Fall Near Taos"__6x8 oil on linen__$150
YES, it's still hot in Texas, but a little farther north, the season is mellowing out and fall color is about a month away! I am getting ready by working from my many photos (I trekked through the Taos and southern Colorado area last fall and have been dying to paint there again!)...A note to ALL artists who plan painting trips or workshops...whether you teach them or take them: PAINT before you go! Working from photos is NOT a criminal offense! It's a good way to "polish" your eye to see forms and color. It warms up the painting muscles and stretches those art ligaments!...and when you finally get out "en plein air" you will NOTICE the difference between real life and photos, and making adjustments is easier. ...The little painting above was painted quickly, and I noticed a "broken art rule" that WORKS! See the "sky holes" at the base of the tree? Where the grass is seen between the trunks? Well, the "rule" says that sky holes should be darker than the color of the main area of grass. Well, you can plainly see that these specs of grass are brighter than the field of grass, but I LIKE IT that way...in this case, IT WORKS!...maybe because this is a bright sunny scene and the sun might be shining on that patch of grass? ....now, go break some MORE art rules!!!