Shadow Fields

Oil on board 6*8

I have been building a bunch of things for the store, so now I am back.
I missed painting these fields last year and now is my chance, I saw this field on the way to paint the last painting. I took a few photos that means it was less than 30 photos, thank goodness for digital cameras. I feel the mountains worked and the foreground it is just the middle ground that I need to figure out now. It was cool to see these big clouds go over head and see all the shapes they made in the shadows and the shadow colours.

Rainy Creek new growth.

Oil on Gessoed Board 8*10

I went back to the same place as the last painting I did and I tried something different, I went a whole lot lighter. I told myself that I know that is dark back there but I will make it lighter so that the rest of the painting dosn't go too dark. I think it worked. I got home and made just a few tweaks with the darks just to pull it out more and I added a few more burnt sticks

Rainy creek, K country.

10*10 oil on gessoed Board

This painting I found today, in K country, I got everthing out and realized I didn't have my turpiniod, which I use to wash clean my brushes. I wanted to try out my new things I learned from Jim Wilcox and his video. So I just juiced up the paint and went for it. I will be going here again I think and try a different angle. I like the mountains I just have to find a better way of doing the front.

Barn on the X22

Oil on gessoed board 8*10

I didn't want to go too far today and I have been saving this spot for a while, after yesterday I had to figure out what I didn't do right and I didn't have enough darks going on, so with this painting, I took a breather and just looked a bit more. and then I just added the darks and it pulled it together more made it sharper, there wasn't a lot of darks added just a wee bit. In the bushes, the door and window and some of the fence posts.

Rainy day

8*8 Oil painted on gessoed board.

I have been here before and I am drawn to it, for several reasons being the distance from my house, the trees in foreground and background and the hill and sky.

I did notice when I took this photo that I did repeat the shapes of the trees in the background without knowing it, I knocked them out after I saw them on the blog.
It's tricky you dont see stuff like that when you are painting only when you see it from another perspective.

Light box Mk1

I have made the light box, it is the first attempt and I already think that I need to change the tracing paper to something more diffuse and stronger. But it works for now.

Green Hill on hwy 40

Oil on Gessoed board. 8*10

I made it today with a group to K country, They were riding to the top of this mountain and well I wasn't gonna be able to do that with my painting gear, which I have to reduce the weight by at least half, So after I got puffed I stopped, looked around and saw this place and started painting, it was good to be out painting in the mountains. it was a fresh green from spring.

I did notice something that I have started to do, I am forgetting to properly place my values, I mean when I am there I am painting, and I see that the darks in the distance are just as dark as the foreground, I paint them even though they be slightly bluer and slightly greyer.

It's not working. So I have to change it, I can only have the darkest dark on the front plane or one plane. and it cannot be the darkest possible dark, as dark dark has to be used as an accent, a highlight to draw the eye to that point. Normally the front plane. If I have the same dark on two planes it will flatten the painting.

So I have to value asign the planes and separate them.
Front plane has a value scale of 7-10
mid ground 4-6
background 1-3
Though this is not a hard and fast rule this is a basic guide line which can be resolved and bent using a basic sketch.

I think that by doing that I will have better results.

Sunny Day in K Country

Oil on Board 8*10

I needed to paint today, it stopped raining, I was starting to go barmy, stuffed inside, I did make some boards and started on my little light box to photograph paintings inside so I don't get flashing.

This is a new type of board I am using, It is gessoed once then it is coated with an acrylic coat, the paint goes on real smooth.

There was a lot of run off today, some rivers were pretty swollen and to get to place that I wanted to paint I had to put me wellies on and go through boggy waters, lots of cow poop too. I saw some wild horses, that was cool.

I have been reading up on clouds as well, I really like them and I am in a way three dimensionally inclined an I think it went a little over board with my previous clouds, looking like candy floss stuck on.
I looked at a painters work who has taught many a great painter, Michael Lynch
He does some interesting work.

Rain over the plain

Oil on Board 6*6

It has been raining cats and dogs for the past two to three weeks this was a gap that I could rush out and paint with.
I found this place a while ago and I see a lot of potential gardening here being able to move elements around to find a better painting.

Golden pasture

Oil on Board 8*10

I found this place the other day on the way home actually it is really close to where live. When I started painting It was really overcast and threatened to rain so I carried on. you have to otherwise nothing will get done.

I started to refine some areas eg took out background house and car. I tried to paint the fence in front. I am not that good at painting fences so in the end I took that out as well. Then the sun came out and I was able to add some interesting highlights.

I did see a cow wondering in the pasture before me called short ears, she's an escapee cow. loves to get out of her pasture and get in someone else back yard. MMMM grass on other side tasty