Each day of our Watercolor Society of Indiana workshop brought new challenges. On Thursday, Alvaro started his painting with a wide red sign that hung in front of a meat market. It was a stunning, HOT painting, so I tried to find something from my photos that could be adapted to his approach. This painting is THE ONE that I've done over a dozen times in various approaches, techniques, mediums, etc. I do LOVE painting this scene, but this is the first time people have been included.
After completing it, I decided maybe to crop the top and both sides to make a better pix - see the crop below. The left figure's also darkened, and the right hand figure has a more even value on the jacket. The intense reddish gold patch above the light has been grayed a bit too.
Look closely and you can find Chinese White Watercolor around the lamp and people. The painting hasn't been officially chopped yet because I'm still in love with that top window area.
"MALTA AGAIN" Transparent Watercolor on 140# Rough Arches presently 15 x 22" COLLECTED
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8 comments:
Sandy, the previous versions of this painting that I have seen were all gorgeous. However, I do like the change of focus created by the addition of people. The white paint is also very effective against the surrounding darks. The viewer really feels drawn to that light which almost seems to be at the end of a tunnel. Well done as always - a feast for the eyes.
You are so versatile! I always enjoy the neat suprises that I receive when I visit your blog.
Sandy, I like the halo effect of adding the white paint. I don't have any China White anymore but do use white gouache occasionally. I see that I have not been brave enough to use it to the effective extent you did, though. Lots to like in this painting, I am growing so familiar with this scene that it is like seeing an old friend in a new dress when you do another iteration of it!
I am ordering some Chinese white right away. Do you use it as a glaze? More than one glaze or just one? Or I suppose that depends. I love the figures. Donna Zagotta's challenge to us to be able to put more figures into our paintings. And a good article I found from Don Andrews suggests we should paint the figures into the painting as part of the subject and not added last because then one stresses out over getting them too detailed and worrying they will spoil the painting. Probably good advice...I've done that too many times! I love how the right side of the figure attaches itself to the wall and keeps them from floating off into the white space! Maybe you could crop just enough to keep the window?
Ah decissions... the cropped version does look great but then again the window has personality indeed Sandy. Well, you could always reuse that window in a collage... maybe :)
I love the top window area, too. I do like the side crops, though. Tough decision.
wow o wow!
excellent! I love it Sandy!
Thanks, y'll for your comments. It may never get cropped at all. We'll see..........
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