Yesterday the sky went from dark and overcast to even darker as the day progressed, and I spent the morning pulling the old battery out of my big truck and swapping it out with a new one. Just when I was ready to finish my giant study of twelve apples the sky grew even darker and snow started to fall. I did manage to rework all the shadows to anchor the subjects down to the table top. In the last dim light of the late afternoon I started to see some exciting transition colors along the edges, and I found some critical cues to help the surfaces turn. As much as I like to avoid rendering details, I did wind up nailing down a bunch of small loose ends as well.

We were supposed to be on the long road to Florida this morning, but another blanket of snow inspired us to postpone our departure. In the bright light of day I was able to really look at this supposedly finished piece to find some areas of mud. I carefully carved out some spots and remixed, and laid it all back down again, so the conclusion to this painting has gone on for two whole days. Aside from going somewhere warm, I’m excited just to be on the road again.