November Landscape
November Landscape, oil on canvas, © 2023 D. Yael Bernhard
This painting is not yet dry. In fact, it might not even be finished, but I feel moved to share it as an expression of the season – a time of unique color after the autumn foliage has fallen and before the snowy hues of winter set in.
Driving through the Catskill Mountains where I live, I crested a pass known to locals as “the Highmount,” and beheld this view. Along the top of the pass, the road clings to the flank of Bellayre Mountain, where tamarack trees were aflame with color. Tamaracks are deciduous conifers, with needles that turn gold and drop in the fall, then grow back as bright green plumes that are equally striking in spring. Also known as larch or by the odd name “hackmatack,” these trees also thrive in the Rockies and mountains of the Pacific Northwest, where they thrive in such numbers that people take special autumn hikes to view the golden swaths of color that light up the landscape.
Here on the east coast, tamaracks are sparse, and merely punctuate the higher elevations. I knew this color wouldn’t last, so I pulled over to take a snapshot of the scene. Arriving home, I set aside my illustration work in order to indulge in an oil painting – my second in two weeks, in a pause between phases of a children’s book. This is just a small painting, a quick study to capture the subtle, almost discordant juxtapositions of color. The textures of the bare trees also had to be articulated – always a challenge in this land of deciduous forests. I tend to get lost in these textures, and sometimes overwhelmed – a never-ending challenge to wrestle with, which I hope to master in this lifetime. Landscape painting isn’t easy! Yet the changing scenes as I walk and drive through these mountains constantly suggest enticing compositions to my eye. Once in a while, I partake – usually during these “shoulder seasons” when the subtlety of color is irresistible.
Another autumn scene begs to be painted, but this one will have to wait. It’s time to put my oil paints away and get back to the book. The illustrations are finished and scanned into my computer . . . now on to designing the layouts. More about that in a forthcoming post.
This painting is for sale, once it’s dry. Please inquire if you’re interested.
A good week to all!
D Yael Bernhard
http://dyaelbernhard.com
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