My inspiration was the far right corner of the field beyond the trees and that is what I initially used for my focal point in the rule of thirds. I loved the hay bales against the trees in the distance also. As I painted from top to bottom, I realized I would need more in the foreground so...since the cows were meandering, grazing,laying down, getting up...I got a few photos and worked the cows in using the camera for reference, although it is terribly hard to see in the sunlight. During an Ohio Plein Air Society critique I had been told by Jack Liberman twice that my backgrounds look pasted on so I remembered to blur the edges and gray the trees in the distance. I do have difficulty with my greens and had to repaint them as they ended up too dark for the sunny day. I do like a little drama and strong values in my paintings but that just doesn't work in most plein air paintings.I tried to design the shadows to point to the focal point even though the sun was above the trees but the light was still on the cows and I liked that they were peaceful looking.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
To begin again
My inspiration was the far right corner of the field beyond the trees and that is what I initially used for my focal point in the rule of thirds. I loved the hay bales against the trees in the distance also. As I painted from top to bottom, I realized I would need more in the foreground so...since the cows were meandering, grazing,laying down, getting up...I got a few photos and worked the cows in using the camera for reference, although it is terribly hard to see in the sunlight. During an Ohio Plein Air Society critique I had been told by Jack Liberman twice that my backgrounds look pasted on so I remembered to blur the edges and gray the trees in the distance. I do have difficulty with my greens and had to repaint them as they ended up too dark for the sunny day. I do like a little drama and strong values in my paintings but that just doesn't work in most plein air paintings.I tried to design the shadows to point to the focal point even though the sun was above the trees but the light was still on the cows and I liked that they were peaceful looking.
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I enjoy looking at your landscapes. They are very difficult to paint - much more difficult than I ever imagined! Recently, I have begun to paint landscapes in oils and am about to commit hari-kari, but for some odd reason am also enjoying the challenge. I can admire yours and understand what goes into painting them, and enjoy them all the more. Thanks for posting the link. I'll keep checking back.
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