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.