Today I am sharing a new 8×10 study that explores the specific atmosphere of late summer. I wanted to capture not just the intense colors of the season, but the underlying mood—a suggestion of the mysterious melancholy that often accompanies the heavy heat before autumn arrives.
To build this atmosphere, I completely shifted my mark-making, relying on a stippling technique using Pitt pens and acrylic markers on cold press paper. By applying the color in thousands of distinct dots rather than smooth lines or washes, the surface of the piece seems to physically vibrate. The bright yellows, greens, and warm oranges create a visual “heat haze.”
To introduce that feeling of mystery, I leaned on contrast. The cooler blues in the shadows of the house and the solitary, undefined figure standing in the yard anchor the piece in a quiet, slightly unsettling stillness. It is an exercise in letting the optical mixing of colors dictate both the light and the emotional weight of the scene.
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