Original Oil 6x8"
For purchase info click here
10/06/25 (8pm)
This scene is from a field about a 5 minute walk from my studio. LOVING the long days, started this at 8pm and still got another one done after it.
Original Oil 6x8"
For purchase info click here
10/06/25 (9:30pm)
Same spot as #60, turned 180 degrees. This one was fast and furious, trying to get the sky down before the light was gone.
Here are some primary questions I have learned to ask myself before I start that seem to lead to things going well:
- When I squint can I reduce the subject to large, abstract shapes? (meaning things I can block in on a 6x8" panel with a 1 inch flat).
- If I can, is the design still interesting now that I have eliminated the detail?
- What are my chances of success with this subject? (Good design, interesting light, relatively easy to simplify, is there a center of interest I am excited about?)
- What is the light doing (late morning moving in to mid-day flat? mid day subject-lots of time? about to cloud over? stormy with all kinds of changing, interesting things to choose from? late afternoon moving into gorgeous evening light?) Primarily: What needs to be addressed immediately and where do I have a little more time? Or am I setting the stage and waiting for the light? (this works in a place you know well with steady weather).
When first starting to paint plein air, there is a tendency to be excited by a subject and jump in with no conscious plan, or even a clear consideration about what the primary focus will be. Next thing you know you're out there mid-painting doing the dog-paddle for life and wondering how the water got so deep.
John Carlson puts it beautifully: "Art is the transmittable, personal impression of one quality in the quantity before us. It is the ability to determine consciously what it is that interests him, and why, that differentiates the artist from the art student."
Wonderful clouds again, and I love the telephone lines! Thank you for sharing your checklist, it is so easy to let enthusiasm for the subject send you off on something you would re-orchestrate if it was a still life. I used to always do a value sketch, but when you are outside, and things are changing fast, that discipline is easy to forget.
ReplyDeleteHi Liz,
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for visiting my blog and introducing me to your work. I love this project you are working on right now. Your checklist sounds invaluable - I am going to try it out.
Happy painting,
Tammy
What a great idea to wait for the changing light, love the light hitting the wires! And thanks for the reminders, the last one about the light is the one I most often forget.
ReplyDeleteLove the sky in 'Moving Through' Liz, the color is awesome. And the '1A' is charming!
ReplyDeleteYour 100 painting goal is inspiring.
these are real jewels, Liz. great comments too.
ReplyDeleteI wish I had views like these so close to home! I love that you left in the power line in the first painting, and how you perfectly managed to capture the light hitting the wires.
ReplyDeleteOkay, confession...I didn't put the wires in at first because stuff like that scares me, I'm always afraid it's going to look stiff and out of place. But I watched a video by Herman Pekel (will talk about this in a future post), and after watching him paint an industrial scene, I was inspired to be fearless and just put it in! This painting was definitely a little flat and lacking sparkle, and I think the addition of the wires really helped it, so thanks you guys for the positive feedback!
ReplyDeleteLove to see what you are doing here with your challenge, Liz. Fantastic job on the wires!
ReplyDeleteLOVE the 1A, what a wonderful sense of space and fleeting light, beautiful lines!
ReplyDelete