"Turkeys Out of Season"

Wintery scenes can be hard to come by here in Missouri with mild weather.  It seems December is not as cold as it used to be years ago.  We tend to grow accustomed to the nicer temperatures after awhile.  When a sudden cold snap comes in, it certainly reminds us that it is the winter season.   

 

"Turkeys Out of Season" is painted from a reference photo  of a snow scene I captured with my phone while sitting in freezing temperatures in my deer stand on family property near Mark Twain Lake.  The second weekend of deer season brought in a cold snap in the 30's, after being in the 50's and 60's all week.  Soon after some early morning rain, it started to snow, and  everything wet began to frost right before me as the sun began to rise.  Some snow accumulated, but by noon the sky cleared and the sun came out, quickly melting  snow and frost as temperatures rose to the upper 30's.  Meanwhile, it was warming up, seven turkeys came walking out from behind a cedar tree.  Of course, we only see turkeys when they are out of season---it's frustrating.  Animals seem to know when they are being hunted.  Every deer season I see a group of turkeys pass through the property, making their rounds searching for food.

This painting was done on natural linen I had bought for autumn landscapes, 22x28 stretched.  Not using it until now, it worked out nicely for a winter scene.  Using clear gesso, one can still utilize the natural color of the surface for a different effect.  Broken color is purposely left in areas of the painting to allow the natural color of the linen to show through, especially in the sky and foreground.  I often use broken color with my pastel paintings which is an ideal medium to achieve it.

"Turkeys Out of Season"

22x28 oil on natural linen

2016

 

$1300 framed

 

Contact bks@brentseevers.com