Dawn at Brush Canyon

 Applying washes of paint thinned with saffron oil to establish both shapes and value.

 The surface covered.  Working hard to not rush through the development of the of the initial color, value, and shapes within the composition.
 The thinning of paint with saffron oil creates a very slippery surface.  Allowing the thin wash of paint to react with the saffron oil creates some interesting textures, shapes, and colors.

 Here are a couple of close ups of the interaction between the paint and oil.

 Developing a complimentary color under painting is a fundamental aspect of my process.  

 I am looking to create color harmony through opposites interacting with each other.  Allowing the saffron oil to influence the shapes within the painting adds an abstract element to the painting.

 I am also trying to create a subtle rhythm of color relationships by  positioning colors which will remain visible even though they are part of the under painting.

 The saffron oil seems much more of a thinner than walnut oil.  I switched on the advice of a paint expert who said that it would react better with the Gamblin paint that I am using than the walnut oil.  He said that over time the painting would wear better.  Another benefit of allowing the saffron oil to react with the under painting is that it accentuates the shape of vertical brush strokes.

 Here I continue to work on getting all the shapes into the painting and making sure that they have the right position and value within the painting.

 As new details are added to the painting, I have to insure that the shapes are not too thick with paint.  I also work to keep the surface smooth and not too built up.
 Here I have gone back and deepened the colors and values to get the values deep enough to create the right reaction when I add the lighter values.  You can see how shiny the painting is with the saffron oil on the right hand side of the painting.

One of the advantages of painting inside is the ability to work wet into to dry.  When I am painting outside it is always wet into wet.  The wet into dry techniques allows for greater color separation within the painting.

One of the things I like about this journey I am on is the growth and discoveries I make along the way.  As my painting materials evolve my end product has evolved.  My pictures have become more complete because of the efforts that I have made to move forward.

One of the recent discoveries I have made is to make better paintings I have to push the limits of the paint.  Working at both ends of the value continuum and taking them as far as I can allows me greater artistic expression.

One of the challenges presented in this painting is to depict the dynamic range of light within the painting.  The shadows within the canyon and the incredibly bright tumble weed and the brush along the wash.

At this point in the painting I am pretty committed to the composition, value, and colors.  Things could still be changed, but it is more about following the initial intent and staying true to what is already down on the canvas.

Here I transition to smaller brushes, smaller marks, and for the most part lighter values.  The shapes are becoming more defined within the context of the entire composition.  

One of the questions I have to answer is how much detail is enough?  I could paint this scene or elements of it every day for the rest of my life and not be able to capture it all.  I really struggle with the conversations about simplification.  Of course there is simplification.  Really who has an ego so large as to think that they could paint the detail if they wanted to.

Painting with saffron oil really makes it easier to go wet into dry.  There is the ability to get smooth applications without the same effort or skill that it would take without the oil.  The edges within the painting would be much more crude without the oil.

One of the advantages of painting inside is the ability to slow down the process as much as you have to.  The slow build up allows for additional problem solving time.  It also allows you to step away when you start to make some mistakes which may have throw away the effort you have put into the painting if you continued.

The experimentation takes on another dimension when painting indoors as well.  The ability to measure your results from session to session are not a luxury I have when I am plein air painting.  This makes a big difference in the learning associated with the experiments.  It gives you a bigger chance of repeating it in the future.

I really like the growth I have made in this painting. There are plenty of paintings where there seems to be no growth.  I feel like I am moving forward in my technique and expression.  I look forward to pushing myself further in my next painting.

The finished painting measures 30"X48".

 The value shot makes me think I got it right for the most part.

The detail shot lets me evaluate the brush work, the composition, and the abstract elements within the painting.