I've begun a winter landscape, working from three small studies done on location in the depths of the recent winter weather.
And here's a pro tip straight from the front line: if you paint outdoors in cold weather, invest in a good winter coat and some hunting mittens. Eat a good breakfast, dress in layers, and always wear a hat and warm socks. Keep your head and feet warm, and everything else in between should be okay.
Once again I'm cobbling together a single coherent view from several kinds of day. First we had bright and sunny, then we had snow and steel grey skies, and lastly we had the thaw.
Take your pick, is the lesson to draw from this, and given that I took a lot of reference shots I can afford to do just that. So I'm thinking of going for a coming snowstorm/ slightly ominous cloud bank/ dramatically lit trees in the background kind of thing.
I'm currently working on a 12" x 24" board that I think of as a test piece for a 24" x 36" canvas, though it will be highly finished, rather than just a sketch - which brings me to a notion I've been thinking about lately. I was raised on the notion that it's okay to do sketchy, unfinished work. There was always an unspoken notion that this was somehow more 'authentic' than a painting that showed signs of long labour or exactitude. It's only lately I've begun to see how fatuous this is, which is why an increasingly large number of art historical figures are being consigned to my out of favour list.
Constable is safe, despite being criticized in his lifetime for a lack of finish in his paintings. Most of his contemporaries painted in a smooth, layered style that led to a flat, shiny finish, and his occasional broad handling and impasto would have stuck out next to this, but overall he's still tight enough to stay in my good books. The painters I'm beginning to hate are all Impressionists. (I'm a hundred and fifty years out of date. Feels good. I've elected to completely disregard most art done since 1863. I'm also thinking of buying a monocle and a frock coat.)
I've made a rod for my own back with this painting by including too much foreground detail, which will require a lot of close work. Tip #2: never paint anything in a landscape that's less than forty feet away. Not only will you have to slave over foreground details, but you also run the risk of having your painting fail to reconcile the near and distant parts.
And here's a pro tip straight from the front line: if you paint outdoors in cold weather, invest in a good winter coat and some hunting mittens. Eat a good breakfast, dress in layers, and always wear a hat and warm socks. Keep your head and feet warm, and everything else in between should be okay.
Once again I'm cobbling together a single coherent view from several kinds of day. First we had bright and sunny, then we had snow and steel grey skies, and lastly we had the thaw.
Take your pick, is the lesson to draw from this, and given that I took a lot of reference shots I can afford to do just that. So I'm thinking of going for a coming snowstorm/ slightly ominous cloud bank/ dramatically lit trees in the background kind of thing.
I'm currently working on a 12" x 24" board that I think of as a test piece for a 24" x 36" canvas, though it will be highly finished, rather than just a sketch - which brings me to a notion I've been thinking about lately. I was raised on the notion that it's okay to do sketchy, unfinished work. There was always an unspoken notion that this was somehow more 'authentic' than a painting that showed signs of long labour or exactitude. It's only lately I've begun to see how fatuous this is, which is why an increasingly large number of art historical figures are being consigned to my out of favour list.
Constable is safe, despite being criticized in his lifetime for a lack of finish in his paintings. Most of his contemporaries painted in a smooth, layered style that led to a flat, shiny finish, and his occasional broad handling and impasto would have stuck out next to this, but overall he's still tight enough to stay in my good books. The painters I'm beginning to hate are all Impressionists. (I'm a hundred and fifty years out of date. Feels good. I've elected to completely disregard most art done since 1863. I'm also thinking of buying a monocle and a frock coat.)
I've made a rod for my own back with this painting by including too much foreground detail, which will require a lot of close work. Tip #2: never paint anything in a landscape that's less than forty feet away. Not only will you have to slave over foreground details, but you also run the risk of having your painting fail to reconcile the near and distant parts.
