Here's another '20 minute' challenge painting, showing the finished painting, along with the actual scene in front of me, as well as how my painting area was set up. The apple by my painting supplies is my timer. Before Setting the timer for 20 minutes, I make sure that everything is ready to go and that I am focused and intent on the subject at hand. The paper was a 5x7" piece of Strathmore Aquarius II that had previously been 'textured' using another process. The existing textures seemed to lend themselves to a snowy scene, but there was no pure white left on the 5x7" paper. Therefore, some white watercolor paint was touched into some snowy areas to help push the contrasts of values a bit. Using it in several small places helped it look like it was meant to be and not just a correction.
My inspiration was the effect of warm golden brown
leaves hanging on the oak tree, surrounded by the cold of a February winter day. After finishing it, my thoughts were that just the tree and a couple of birds would have made a much more interesting painting. It's such a challenge to leave out what's not important. Seems like whatever we see, we often feel the need to put in the painting. A wise person said --- don't let what you see dictate what you paint! Great advice.
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5 comments:
I love this, Sandy! The greys are all so beautiful and the warm leave really make them glow. (As I was driving on the parkway Saturday I noted all the dark-orange dead leaves on the trees lining the road against the stormy grey sky--wished I could pull over.)
You are the 20-minute master!
thanks Sandy,
very cool to see what you are seeing and then what you paint. nice!!
i'm sending you sandy a special Sunshine Award :) for your blog which i'm so glad to have found .... i hope you accept...you can to see the list of the other recipients on my blog.
with kind regards
jane
Sandy, it is nice to see the same scene in three different ways. Lovely colors and textures.
I like the advice " Don't let what you see dictate what you paint." Whenever I show one of my paintings to my mother with the photograph tht inspired the painting, she says with a certain disappointment: "Oh. But you changed the colors...it's not like the picture". :-)
Thanks so much for taking the time to comment. I appreciate it very much. Also, I thought that I left in too much 'junk' and should have simplified this much more. the feeder wasn't necessary and took away from the trees, IMO. I know what you mean, Christine, by others commenting about 'not following the photograph." I always tell them that I used my artistic license. I even typed one up and give them to my students, too.
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