Warm December Days!

My set up: Covenant Presbyterian

It's a dream come true for this painter: 70+ degree days in December! I love to paint architecture in the landscape, but there are some structures that I simply cannot see when the leaves are on the trees. I wait for winter when the leaves are gone, but by then it is often too cold to paint outdoors. In a wonderful twist (thanks to El Nino), this month has blessed us with both comfortable temperatures and leafless trees--at the same time!

My set up: Myers Park Presbyterian

The recent weather has been perfect for painting a couple of neighborhood churches. Their steeples are often obscured when the big oak trees that surround them are leafed out. Just look at the top photo--I would never have been able to see the chapel and the steeple at the same time had the leaves been on those trees. Want to see the results?

Here's my painting of Covenant Presbyterian. Beautiful facades, and a steeple reaching for the sky. Not to mention lots of subtle color shifts in the stones. It's hard to do this one justice.

"Covenant"
18 x 9, Oil on Linen
(c) Lesley Powell, 2015

And here's Myers Park Presbyterian. I was fascinated by the different angles of the walls, and the "faux" entry that sits out from the structure. Beautiful light and shadow effects. This one was just before sunset.

"Enter In"
12 x 9, Oil on Linen
(c) Lesley Powell, 2015

Keep your fingers crossed for more good weather, and stay tuned for more from the 'hood.