Forest Bathing, the Misty Spring Woods

Bernadette

April 1

About Forest Bathing

A view of the misty spring woods.

I've always loved this ravine just off the Panhandle Trail for the angle of light that enters it, that deep "V" shape creating colorful highlights and rich shadows and always mossy logs with a little sparkle of water that meanders down the center.

And in nearly all seasons I'm intrigued by the soft mysteries in that mist when the woods are damp, filled with muted light.

I took the reference photo for this painting on an unusually warm day in early March 2022, walking barefoot in the woods around the Panhandle Trail between the snows. There was plenty of mist on that day as the warm sun reached the cool damp soil, and as I walked past this ravine on my way to the trail that winds up and up the hill the light was perfect to capture that feeling.

**Painting Forest Bathing en plein air in my studio...**

I wanted this to be loose, just to catch the feeling of it, but not to include every twig and sprig of moss, much as I would if standing there in the wet soil and the spring afternoon was fading and the light changing each minute.

To mimic as much of the plein air experience as I could I opened the photo on my studio computer's large screen, put the paper up on my easel, and started painting quickly, working from the middle of this scene, blocking off areas and making adjustments as I moved. That way I catch the elements of the scene that are most striking similar to the way I would if the light was actually changing,

I know a painting's time has come when it just flows from my hand and my pastels.

I titled it "Forest Bathing" because that's what I was doing that day.

Get a print of "Forest Bathing"

Forest Bathing, Pastel is 16″ x 22″ in mixed pastels on Pastelmat paper. The framed original painting as well as prints on paper and canvas are available. Click here to purchase the original or a print.