This morning, I painted two plein air oil sketches at sunrise. The sky changed dramatically as the sun came up, and I wanted to capture both moods.

The first painting was started in the dark, as the clouds appeared thick and just a little sky peered through. The horizon had a peachy color just above the trees.

The challenge was to capture the white clouds and blue sky that were visible in the openings of the thicker cloud cover.

Because colors can vary with monitor settings, here are some color notes: The dark blue is a very grey-blue, but not quite slate. The sky peering through is pale aqua, with some tinges of pink. The light above the trees is generally pale yellow with some peachy white as well.

I began the second sketch within about ten minutes of completing the first. The sky had almost cleared, but I could still see many of the wispy clouds that had been covered (mostly) by the heavier clouds. (I’m wondering if the heavier clouds were actually a fog bank.)

Even on my monitor the colors aren’t quite right. In the actual sketch, the sky is mostly shades of aqua and turquoise. There’s more variety to the colors in the clouds… pale yellows, oranges and pinks.

I’m pleased with how well these sketches are restoring my familiarity with painting. Capturing the subtlety of sunrises is a good challenge for me.

In the coming week, I hope to get out to the park to try some more complex landscapes, en plein air.