"Heat Wave" -- plein air field study -- 11x14" oil on birch panel -- Margie Guyot

We've been having an unusually warm October here in southeast Michigan, with near record-breaking afternoon highs. Mornings have been foggy and a bit on the chilly side. The colors are just hinting at shifting to the typical oranges, reds and golds. Of course none of that shows in this painting! I'd just finished slugging away on a painting, looking the opposite way. I didn't really care for it. There was something too blah about it, so I wiped everything off with a turpentine-soaked rag. Then I turned around and saw this view! Aha!

That distant bluish background really caught my eye! And the blindingly-bright sky and water reflections seemed to cast such an interesting mood! By this time of year, the waterlilies have filled in much of the shoreline areas and they're reflecting the bright sky. It's very nearly a monochromatic, with just faint hints of the green foliage showing at the top rims of the oak trees. I used my #8 flat brush to paint about 98% of this painting. It went fast & was a lot of fun.