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Friday, May 14, 2010

100 plein air paintings in 100 days - #14/#15

















#14 - "Sonoran Desert"
Original Oil 6x8"
For purchase info click here

10/04/23 (5:15pm)
The light was very soft and flat on this day, so I decided to tackle the desert foreground and think about texture and simplifying. I loved the muted greens against the violet backdrop with warm bits of desert floor showing through It was a quiet, unhurried piece with no urgency to race against light.


















#15 - "McDowell Mountains"
Original Oil 6x8"
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10/04/24 (9:30 am)

The two challenges with this piece were the flat light and the busy-ness of the scene. I focused on simplifying all those crazy sagebrush into masses and trying to create a sense of depth using color and value. This one worked me. Oh, and it was hot! Are you hearing this, I finally get to complain about being hot instead of cold! Not for long though, stay tuned.

6 comments:

  1. I REALLY love the way you handled the sage brush. It's beautifully simplified and reads so very well...not an easy thing to do!

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  2. Both of these have such great warmth. The colors are so full of life. The second one is my fave. I like the darker branches in the foreground that create depth that gradually snakes back into the recesses taking the viewer right along with it.

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  3. I'm in the middle of a plein air workshop right now, struggling with values. These two paintings were a big help as in, oh, so that's how you do it.

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  4. Liz, from mountains to desert, to desert mountains, you always lay down the most beautiful subtle colour.

    I'm loving this ambitious project of yours.

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  5. Liz, I'm having a great time following your painting journey. I met two friends of yours at the OPA show in AZ Melissa and Sarah both talked about your paintings and this new challenge you have set for yourself.

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  6. These two are my favorites of the desert series, the brush looks so soft, and I love the color you've used. And maybe I like the cactus better up close. Nice!

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