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.

A coffee painting composition

I was invited to teach coffee painting this summer. First I had to look up coffee painting, then I had to try it. I designed it so the front sail would be the lightest light against the darkest dark land. If you follow your eye around the painting you go from the sail to the top of the island and around to the mast and down to the skipper who is also close to the other third cross hair on the lower left. Coffee painting is different. The coffee doesn't stay where you put it. It slides to the edge of a wet area and makes a dark line. It is much like watercolor and you have to either paint over it frequently to darken it or make your coffee stronger. If you plan a painting, the very first thing you say to yourself is, " Why do I want to paint this?" Is it the color, the mood, the way it makes me feel, a reminder of something? Then design the painting. Where is the focal point going to go? Remember divide the sides by three and mark the cross hairs. It doesn't hurt to have two focal point for design but you must make one of them stronger, more detailed with brighter color.