September has proved to be a very busy month.  We've done some traveling and enjoyed the cooler weather.  This month I wanted to share with you a painting that was inspired by a trip that we took up to Portland.

Unfortunately I am just an amateur photographer, and so my simple shots through the windshield don't do justice to the beauty of the moment.

When I first began painting landscapes, I was particularly intimidated by painting skies.  It just was overwhelming.  I couldn't imagine how one could capture the beauty and detail of a vast sky that was fluffing its plumage and showing off in such dramatic ways. 

Then I stumbled upon YouTube and was delighted to learn that painting clouds and skies and attempting to capture the fleeting beauty of a sunset was a very common pursuit.  With just a quick perusal of YouTube today, I found artists such as Peter Sheeler, Jennifer Branch, Juan Pena, Helen Klebesadel, Alison Fennell, Tim Gagnon and many more all had taken the time to post videos of how to attempt the feat of painting skies and clouds.

I decided to post one of these videos here for you to enjoy.  Jennifer Branch is an artist from Northwest Georgia who styles herself as a "modern impressionist."  She mainly paints in watercolor.  Her work is lively and fun and her approach is straightforward and simple.  I thought I would embed one of her cloud-painting videos here for you to enjoy.  I think it will inspire you, as it has me.

Hopefully this video has begun to demystify the complexity of painting clouds in the sky.  I chose this video in particular because of its simplicity and Jennifer's clear teaching style.  I want to encourage anyone who has an interest to make a stab at it.  It's really quite fun.

As you can see from these photos, the air was thick with smoke.  Fortunately for me, the smoke had created this amazing background of ethereal beauty behind the barn.  When I got home from our trip, I couldn't get this image out of my mind and determined to paint it.

Here is my painting of the amazing scene.  I was delighted with how the sky turned out.  For me it really captures the feeling of the moment.  I love the birds floating above the barn in the misty, smokey blues.  I hope that you have enjoyed sharing in this moment with me.  Thanks so much for your interest and support of my watercolor journey.