Sun Shower

It's been over 40 years since I first saw Hiroshige's woodblock print of people crossing a bridge in the rain, which is illustrated below. I've always wanted to paint the falling rain after I saw this magnificent print and this year I finally got to do it. 

To picture the activity of raining is different to a wet landscape because a wet environment can be seen after the rain has stopped falling. The landscape was painted at the sight and the rain added in the studio. Also, the landscape was simplified so it would not compete too much with the raindrops. 

Sun Shower, 2020, oil on panel, 41 x 35 cm

 Sudden Shower over Shin-Ohashi bridge and Atake, 1857, 

woodblock print, 34 x 24 cm

Snowfall

 Snowfall, 2020, 61.5 x 51.75 cm

This painting was inspired by the recent snowfall at Ballarat. It doesn't often snow in Ballarat, but during this winter it happened on a few occasions. The landscape was painted on sight but the snow was added in the studio. When I was nearing the completion of the painting, it suddenly snowed again and it was magical. It also felt like nature was giving me one last look to refresh my memory. 

I've always wanted to paint snow, but I have rarely experienced it in real life and it would have seemed false for me to paint something I hadn't experienced. This is not to say other artists should not do this, but personal experience is a major influence on what I paint.