"Dawson's Road 12-09-06" plein air -- oil on birch panel -- 9x12" What a great way to use up some yellow ochre! I parked my french easel on the side of the road (actually on the little bridge), hoping only benevolet, sober drivers would pass by. What I loved most about this view were the tire tracks left in the snow and mud. Notice the blue shadows? Some of the ones on the lower right were just amazing in their sharp brilliance. This is the second painting I had done yesterday morning, and people were starting to pack up to go to the bar for lunch. So I was trying to hurry. I painted this whole thing with a size 8 flat brush, going as fast as I could go. What always takes me the longest is establishing the basic layout. I ALWAYS use a viewfinder in the beginning to help me compose. I learned this trick from landscape painter Clyde Aspevig, no matter if I'm doing a still life, portrait, or landscape.