Shadows at Low Tide

The second painting of the day was 24"X 36".  This is the most I have painted in one day.  I painted a total of 24 square feet for the day.  I did not start till about 11 am so I think I could double my output if push came to shove.  On this last set of days off I intended to start painting some nocturns but I will have to establish a different routine around this.  I will need to take a break for dinner at the location for the painting so that I can rough in the composition, eat, and then return to do the rest of the painting.

As I progress in skill I develop a trust of the decisions I make about the painting.  The less second guessing, the less problem solving, the quicker the painting. Each one of my paintings should not be dependent on the previous one when I am painting multiples outdoors.  The color schemes are very different from each other.  The compositions are very different in design and the values are different as well.  The best paintings are the ones that involve the fewest number of conscious decisions.  When everything flows from start to finish, the quality of the painting usually comes to the top.

By posting these paintings in their original size, I am able to analyze the quality of the composition in a different manner.  By breaking the painting down into smaller sub-compositions, I can determine the strengths or weaknesses of the parts of the whole.