September 14, 2016

Tree Study



Acrylic on Panel - 7 x 5 inches

Usually when I paint outdoors, I become overwhelmed with the range of greens in a scene. I'm always amazed at the amount of orange one can add to green colors and still have them read as green. Timothy Horn is a master of this.

Most often, I finish a landscape piece, clean my brushes, and then step back and see I've got it completely wrong.  I see all the darks as being equal, but they can't be. Ditto for the green shades lit by the sun and those in shadow. I just can't get it right.

So this time I thought I'd work on just that, and not worry about composition or making a good painting.

The tree in the foreground really stood out in real life. I tried so hard to make it work, by making the background trees lighter, cooler, looser etc. I  can't tell you how much white went into those background tones, but I think it is still, ultimately, a failure. There's still not enough separation.

There are good, happy moments, better than usual, but still a long way to go.

September 12, 2016

Entrance

Acrylic on Panel - 5 x 7 inches

I've painted this side of the building many, many times, but I see and learn something new each time. We all know that shadows are cool and lean toward blue and purple shades, but I finally saw why the main entrance shadows are warmer. They are including the reflected light from the terracotta path in front of them.

I still didn't get the colors right, but I'm moving in a more informed direction.

Entrance

Acrylic on Panel - 5 x 7 inches

I've painted this side of the building many, many times, but I see and learn something new each time. We all know that shadows are cool and lean toward blue and purple shades, but I finally saw why the main entrance shadows are warmer. They are including the reflected light from the terracotta path in front of them.

I still didn't get the colors right, but I'm moving in a more informed direction.