Joy Comes with the Morning: Inspirational Sunrises

"Joy Comes with the Morning"
Click here to view on my website
Morning has never been my strongest time of day-- and yet, I find it the most beautiful time to be outside.  The cool, fresh air along with the sun's approaching light are hard to resist.  A morning after a storm can be particularly beautiful, with the colors and remnants of storm clouds streaked across the sky.


"Stormy Dawn"
Original Sold
Even if the night was not particularly restful, or the previous day ended in tears, there is something uplifting about waking in the morning and knowing you have the whole day ahead of you to find something joyful.  Even if it's something small like the smile on my child's face, a happily wagging tail, or a delightfully strong cup of tea, I try to find something each day to enjoy.







"Early Light"
Click here to view details
Even when there are clouds in the morning here, there are still unique sights such as dew on spiderwebs and plants and birds flitting in and out of the brush and trees.  The clouds themselves can form a comforting blanket above the hills, making us feel snug and cozy heading back into the warm house after a morning walk.




"Morning Sky"
Click here to view details
Sometimes the colors and shapes of the morning clouds are so breathtakingly vivid, I wonder if I should bring the pastels out and try to capture them.   I know if I do, though, they will have changed by the time I sit down to paint.  I will occasionally take pictures for later.  Usually, I just try to appreciate them in the moment.  The quiet anticipation of the morning lights and sounds only lasts for a bit before life hits me in the face: pets and people to feed and care for, tasks to complete, and problems to solve.  Even though there are new problems to face each day, I enjoy the burst of life awakening around me outside as I start the day.  

Until the kids start bickering, at least!

If you like these paintings, check out my Skyscapes Collection on Etsy!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Painting Cats

Image
"The Bookeeper" Click here to view auction After many years of painting cats, I've learned a few things.  Every time I start a new cat painting, it follows its own unique path, bringing challenges that I don't seem to face when I paint my more traditional material (landscapes, birds, floral and botanical pieces, etc.) For example, cats don't stay put for too long (unless they're asleep, and even then they'll often stretch and change positions when you're least expecting it).  To combat this challenge, I end up working mostly from photographs.  That means adjusting the proportions, since the camera angle causes some distortion depending on the position and location of the cat. "Eye Contact" Oil Pastel Not for Sale "Side Glance" Oil Pastel Available on Etsy  One of the reasons cats are enjoyable to paint is that they have strong facial expressions.  When I'm painting a cat, I get so focused on rendering the cat
Read more

Inspired by Light (Pastels on Canvas)

Image
"Morning Glow" 12 x 16 Chalk Pastel on Flat Canvas Email nicolehilsabeck@yahoo.com if interested in purchasing Been trying to get back into the daily painting routine, which for me either means a small painting a day, or a larger painting spread over two days.  It's a bit of a challenge with the growing belly and a very inquisitive firstborn, but I was lucky enough to get a little extra inspiration from an odd source: Sunday's eclipse. We have beautiful views of the canyon and hills behind us, and I watched the light change on this hill as the sunlight waned throughout the course of the eclipse.  I noted how the normally stunning lights and shadows on this hill were blunted by the general darkening (as opposed to the usual sunrise or sunset glow).  I thought I would be a little more appreciative of those lights and darks and try a painting of the trees and hills the next morning. I completed this painting in several steps, having struggled a little recentl
Read more

A Hot Mess of Water Lilies!

Image
"Balboa Water Lilies" 9 x 12 Chalk Pastel on Paper Click here to view large or purchase So, every time I take great photos to paint later it turns into a learning experience for me. We took a little day trip in September down to Balboa Park in San Diego, California.  There wasn't much left of the water lilies after some recent vandalism (a bunch of geniuses decided to have a water gun fight and ended up destroying the lilypond).  It was a strangely hot day for downtown San Diego-- part of a series of heat waves that dogged me throughout the last months of my pregnancy.  I was thrilled to get some pretty photos while down there, particularly of the lilypads and turtles. I love to paint water, but I forget how time consuming it can be.  There are lots of layers involved, and I ended up using fixative as I layered in the lights and darks in this piece.  I also didn't anticipate how difficult it is to depict those peaceful, floating lilypads.  After a couple of
Read more