Off The Wall

These paintings have been hanging on the wall for years.  They represent my ability at the time they were painted.  They also represent a challenge to my ability.  At some point during the painting I realized I was unable to finish the painting and achieve the results I wanted.  They are unsolved problems.

I remember the excitement when I started this painting.  I really liked the fronds in the palm trees and the faded stain of warm colors.  I was not sure how I could push this one to the finish and achieve the effects I was after.  The light in this scene was amazing.  I did not know how to achieve the lighting effects.

I started over.  I painted over the entire surface trying to stay true to the colors.  The palm trees would have to be added later.

I made sure to push the contrast in values in the sky as far as I was able.  I also tried to nail the color without losing the transition in values within the sky.

Another challenge was trying to create the glare from the setting sun as it fell upon the land.  I had to just trust what I saw and how I would be able to paint it.  I did not need a lack of confidence impacting my painting.

I worked and reworked the light and clouds to have smooth flowing transitions.  Although there were many colors running into each other I wanted there to be a feeling of harmony.

I worked to not get caught up in too much detail and not to disrupt the elements within the painting

The value test.  When you are putting the color down, the values can get lost.  This painting presented a challenge in this respect.  The clouds and the transition in values in them was of special concern to me.

Rockpile

 

Light Pepper

Light Pepper  This painting was inspired by the dramatic lighting I found while walking around a dried lake bed near my home.  In addition to the light filtering through the Pepper tree onto the path, I was really drawn to the intense intricacy of the Pepper tree branches. 

The painting started as a quick watercolor under painting.  I tried to capture a quick indication of shape, light color, and ideas about the branches.

In this detail shot I am trying to show the difference in the filtered light coming through the branches and the light upon the path.  The light coming through the tree is cool and the light on the path is warm.

The shifting values of the filtered light were indicated by changing the color and intensity of the pastel marks.  Changing the pressure from hard to soft helped create the gradual differences in value and helped create the illusion of detail in the branches in the Pepper tree.

Here are the early indicators of color and value as I laid down my first layer of pastel.

This detail shot really sums up the interactions between color, value, texture, and the interplay between the pastel and the water color.  A lot of my current ideas about interchange are captured in this shot.
 

Trying to stay patient and to stay on track. Sometimes the excitement of the moment gets in the way of the process.  Having the vision of what the finished painting will look like can lead to a premature finish.

I chose this detail shot to indicate the variety of mark making within the painting.

This detail shot was included to show the condition of the surface before the final details were added.

A detail shot with an indication of scale.

The value shot looks like a good pencil drawing.  I consider that a strong indicator of the success of a painting.

The finished painting "Light Pepper".