Hunkering down in the Skokomish Valley

The pastures of the Skokomish River valley are bordered by ragged ridges on either side that still show evidence of being clearcut years ago. The barns in the valley seem to hunker below the mountains, especially when the clouds scud by. That’s the feeling I tried to express in this painting.

In my teacher’s critique, he admired the soft edge of the ridgetop, the color in the clouds, the lost edges of the barn, the white space in front of the barns that is left to the viewer’s imagination, and the soft edges of the barn roofs. He suggested running a little blue into the yellow of the grass, and to soften the edge of the silo. I like this painting.