Light Impressions by Vitali Prokopenko

Today’s pleinair: roses.

Oil on linen, 12x9”

Oil on linen, 8x16

Today’s pleinair with painting Mount Rainier.

Yesterday’s pleinair.

Two of my paintings were selected for this year’s “Little Gems” show by at !
Hooray!

I hope some of you will be able to see my paintings in person. The brushwork is fascinating.

The last day of a four day paint out with in eastern Oregon was especially spectacular and picturesque. The puffy clouds in the sky were dropping the shadows on the ground breaking up the landscape into layers of lit and shadowed slopes. There were a lot of views I wished I could paint but the day was not long enough and I have collected a lot of photos to paint later. Here is a painting based on one of the reference photos and my memory of a vast space and light leading you up to the opening between two mountains.

Oil on linen, 12x24”

The last day of the trip to eastern Oregon had the best light. There was so much beauty around it was hard to paint it all. So I used my camera instead.

This is the last painting from the recent trip to eastern Oregon before heading home. The last day was the best with lots of clouds producing an intricate patterns of light and darkness on the ground. In this case a sliver of light created an arc on the ground.

Today I was sorting out recent paintings and realized that I have not posted some of them. I like painting so much that I forget to post them.

Here is a couple of pleinair paintings from Victoria, BC capturing trees and meadows of spring flowers.

Another painting from my last trip to eastern Oregon.

I keep trying to work in abstract forms, in large brush strokes, in broken edges. Does an apple need to have a round edge to be recognized as apple? Do I need to draw each petal of a flower? Maybe not.

View of Mount Hood in the clouds from Mountain Identifier point near Shaniko, Oregon.

This is the second painting from a four day painting trip to Eastern Oregon with fellow artists of

This painting was a combination of two separate things: an orchid planted in a boring gray pot and a fun but empty blue pot. Some fun and new, that I have never done before.

Tea time

I took my dog on a walk this morning and was stunned by the beautiful clouds in the sky. It was too good to pass by. So, I put my other plans on hold and quickly sketched them trying to capture their character.

Still life with flowers and an apple

Second painting from paint out with at Skagit Valley Tulip Festival.

Touching up some of the pleinair work at home. This one is from paint out at tulip festival in Skagit Valley.

Today’s still life: more flowers.

A couple weeks ago I hiked to Lake Annette. The trail goes through old forest with moss covered ground. Right now most comes in variety of high chroma greens. Little light gets through the canopy. The one that does creates a fairy tale mood.

Today I went back to paint some of it.

Tulip season
Oil on linen, 12x12”

I’m trying my hand at alla prima. After a week of about 10 failures, something that I finally like.

One more painting based on a recent paint out with .

After finishing two paintings I was torn between desire to paint more and tiredness from 8 hours of painting and looking for subjects. It was getting late and the weather was deteriorating. And yet, I fell in love with this scene. Eventually, desire to go home won but first thing next day I started painting that last scene I saw. I loved those subtle purples and blues in the water.

The second one from today’s paint-out with

Seeing other artists paint inspires me to work harder. Peeking at their paintings helps me learn and grow.