Paint-Out at the South Slobs

We had a group paint-out at the South Slobs, Wexford yesterday (the South slobs is a low-lyiing, marshy area, frequented in winter by migratory birds and the occasional mad artist!). It was a relatively good January day, with no rain and good sunshine in the afternoon - it was only about 8C (45F) though with a cold North-Westerly wind. The area is very flat - actually looks very like Holland - and it can be difficult to find anything interesting to paint apart from the obvious. For my first one, I stuck to the "obvious", settling for the old pumphouse, mainly because I managed to get a sheltered spot. But it presented a fairly dramatic silhoutte against the winter sky.

The Pumphouse, South Slobs, Wexford
(12" x 10" Oil on Board)

I just went for a sky study for my second one.

Winter Sky, South Slob, Wexford

(12" x 10" Oil on Board)

Here are photos of both scenes. As you can see, I edited/re-arranged both scenes quite a bit.