in the park

In The Park, oil, 12 x 14

available

This is one of those paintings that, for some reason, has been quite difficult to photograph. There is a lot of texture and nuanced color (perhaps because the colors are quite bright and saturated in real life!), so getting the picture right has been a bit of a challenge. This is as close as I've been able to get and it still feels flat compared to the real painting. Perhaps I'll try again...

As I was starting out in painting I found it very insightful to hear about other artists' processes. I learned a lot from other artists, hearing about their techniques and color theory, etc... So, now and again I like to share something about my own process. I like to begin with a warm base, then I pencil in with charcoal my basic drawing. My drawings are very loose and simple. I don't draw in any small details, rather I focus on the main ideas and work to get the composition just how I want it. This sometimes changes later as I'm working on the piece, but more and more I find I'm able to stick to my initial drawing. I suppose practice creates greater confidence!

I then go over my pencil/charcoal drawing with a thin wash of burnt umber, cobalt blue pure, and yellow ochre. I like it to be fairly dark, to give depth to the different elements, especially to objects closer to the foreground. Often in the finished painting parts of this darker underpainting/outlining will peek through.

 

While I wait for the thin base coat to dry, once the underpainting/outlining is placed on I start to go for it. I love to paint wet in wet, so I like to work fast. This usually means I try to carve out as much time as possible to work on a piece, especially if it is a large painting. Obviously I am not able to complete an entire large painting in one session, but I like to get whole ideas into the painting before pausing.

I begin to lay down color. I often start at the horizon, working my way up and down from there. I work around objects in the foreground, leaving them to detail later on. I think in blocks of color, trying to get the tones right. Then, as I build up different layers of colors I begin to really work on the edges between objects, like the horizon or the space between sky and clouds, or the edges of the trees, the blending from foreground to background in the landscape, etc... this is my favorite part of painting and it feels like it's where the magic happens. Each painting is unique and sometimes there is just one particular brush stroke that creates just the right feeling in a painting. In the end it seems I usually know when it's finished, but sometimes that decision takes a while. If I leave it for the next day I can usually decide by then if it is really completed... This one is finished now!

Finished painting alongside a small color study for it!

 

Detail