Haven't had much time to any painting as of late. My Wife had knee surgery and has needed me to provide care for her. Needles to say, I have been jonesing to smear some color. I took a trip back through some reference photos and came across this scene. I will earmark photos that I believe are potential painting and put them in a seperate folder so that I am not sorting through a bunch of dogs to find something to paint. This is a photo from a recent trip to the Grand Canyon. I liked how the juniper seemed to be reaching across the expanse of the canyon almost framing the beauty of that amazing spot.
I have been working on doing a better job of leading the eye through the painting and subordinating certain elements. I wanted to draw attention to the amazing character of the juniper and use other elements to give place to the tree. Another thing that I have been doing with my skies is to make sure the last strokes of paint are on top of the blues of the sky to push it back and add more depth. Schmid suggests it as a method and it is easy for me to see why after trying it a few times.
Thanks for looking, comments welcome, criticism accepted.
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4 comments:
I think it is a very successful composition. And the tree looks very good indeed, with all the details and the contrast! Love the patches of orange on the trunk again.
I was looking at the "red" rock under the branch to see if making the colour less strong or intense would add some depth as I thought that it might be competing a little with the excellent tree. But I realise that this is a picture and that the painting might look different in real.
Because of the bright tree and the soft background the painting is so nice and clear... great!
Thanks for the detailed post Bart. It is obvious you took the time to study before commenting. The photo did warm up the temperature in the piece a bit. I did not intend for the painting to end up as tight as it did but I think it reads okay.
Hi Less,
What a magnificent tree! I like the vastness and space you captured of the canyon. Your brush strokes are fluid and graceful and your colors radiate warmth.
Lovely!
Thanks Jennifer! You made my day stopping by and leaving such kind words. Deeply appreciated!!!
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