Sunset at Buffalo Harbor

Acrylic on Gessobord
8" x 10"
Chris Breier © 2017

I visited the Buffalo Harbor on a Sunday evening with my brother, it's a great place to take a walk and relax. The weather was great and the sun was close to the horizon. I brought my camera so that I could take reference photos to work from in my studio. I was looking for a scene that would include the boats and the reflection of the sun in the water.

Ellicott Creek at Dusk

Ellicott Creek at Dusk
Acrylic on Gessobord
8”x10”
Chris Breier © 2017

What attracted me to painting this scene was the surreal mood that the woods can take on right after sunset. I wanted to capture the luminosity of the sky and water so I used acrylics in a transparent manner similar to watercolor. I know from my experience with watercolor that if I overwork the painting it can lose the brilliance that can be achieved with transparent washes, so I focused on the essence of the image and aimed to get the colors and the values correct without making too many corrections. The original painting is available.

Trees and Puddles

Trees and puddles
Acrylic on gessobord
5”x7”
Chris Breier © 2017

This stand of trees is in a slight valley near one of my favorite walking paths. Whenever it rains these puddles form around around them which creates bright silvery reflections. The sunset was starting to wind down and the warm colors of the sky play well off the cool saturated greens of the landscape. I enjoy observing these moments in nature, it's a good way to get away the stress of modern life. Bid in the auction for Trees and Puddles.

Walking at Dusk

Walking at dusk
Acrylic on gessobord
5”x7”
Chris Breier © 2017

I took a walk just before sunset and by the time I made it the point where I normally turn around, the sun had just sunk below the horizon. On one hand that means there’s going to more mosquitos to deal with, but on the other hand the sky had turned into an impressive display of color. I took a few reference photos so I could create a painting of it in my studio. It took a number of tries to get the colors of the sky right. I used thick brushstrokes in some areas which created subtle texture and the painting has a glossy finish. Bid in the auction for Walking at Dusk.

Clouds Over Lake Ontario

Clouds Over Lake Ontario
8"x10"
acrylic on raymar canvas board
Chris Breier © 2017

I've always wanted to paint a picture of Lake Ontario, but I knew that painting a large body of water could end up with boring results. If it's an overcast day then the painting may be nothing more than two stripes of very similar shades of blue. I realized I needed to wait for interesting weather and lighting to make this work.

Then one evening a bank of clouds rolled in while I was enjoying the view of the lake. This was around sunset so the clouds had a much more dramatic appearance than during the afternoon. I took a number of photographs to work from because the clouds and the lighting change so quickly there was no time to get my painting supplies and set up my easel. The original painting is available.

The Pier

The Pier
Acrylic on Raymar canvas panel
8"x10" © Chris Breier

Painters often exclude distracting elements from paintings and in this case I left out the teenagers that were jumping their bikes into the lake. It was a creative yet dangerous way for them to cool off on a hot evening. They had set up a ramp at the end of the pier so they launch themselves into the water and try learning new flips and tricks. If a trick was unsuccessful they had to push the bike away so it wouldn't land on their heads. I, on the other hand, was eating popcorn while sitting on a park bench.

I considered including them in the painting but I realized the figures would be too small to be recognizable. What inspired me to paint this scene was the way the tree was lined up against the sunset. I realized I could paint the tree in silhouette so that it would become a strong graphic shape and create a nice contrast against the sunset. The original painting is available.