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"Woodpile"
Lately I've returned to a favorite subject of mine: trees. I found an old photo of a woodpile in my neighbor's woods in Maine. Color became the primary challenge.
The color choices are mainly the complementary colors of yellow and violet.
Note the shadows on the cut side of the logs. In the past, I might have chosen one value for all of them. By making half of the shadows darks and the other half midtones, there is more variety. There is also a chance to gradate the colors to indicate the reflected light.
I'm out of paper (on order) and with Thanksgiving coming up, I'll be taking a short break. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
A friend in Maine takes a daily walk and posts photos of her surroundings. In her photo of a marsh, there were only two lone pine trees. Also there was no mountain range behind the trees. I also needed something added to give a little life to the scene. I considered a canoe or rowboat, but decided that would bring attention to the water. I wanted the viewer to look at the pine trees. I added one more tree for balance and then decided that some hawks would add some interest to the trees.
A very simple scene. Study the background trees for changes in value and color. Also avoid a treeline that becomes a rectangle. Give it a little oblique feel. Study the water to see how a gradation of values leads to the highlighted area near the trees.
My tree series continues....
In composing this painting, I looked through my photos of Florida for more material to continue my tree series. I found a photo of a banyan tree in Naples, Florida. I liked the tree, but as you can see, it was in a parking lot. So I went back to my photo file of Selby Gardens in Sarasota, Florida to look for another element to include. The thatched hut seemed like an interesting choice. It provided a balancing feature in the background without detracting from the main subject which is the tree.
The figures added a bit of animation to the scene as well.
When using photos, you are unlikely to find the perfect composition. Think about combining elements from various photos.
Most painters of watercolors adhere to the notion of painting from light values to darker values. There is a special concentration on saving the lightest values. This leads some to believe that the darker tones can be applied directly on white paper since the first light washes would be covered up anyway.
This painting illustrates my approach to getting to the darks by building up layers of color. The first wash influences the second wash and the second wash influences the third wash, thus creating something in common throughout the shape.
This approach involves some patience because the wash must be thoroughly dry before the succeeding layers are applied.
Look closely at the foreground grassy area and you will see glimpses of the first yellow underwash. Putting down the foundation color first also allows for the possibility of choosing how much to cover up in the second and third washes. The common denominator color also changes when a variety of colors are applied over it. Yellow as the base color changes when blue or burnt sienna or a mixed green is layered over it.
The same thing occurs in the foliage of the trees. Yellow was the first wash and darker and darker values are painted on top.
Note also that these shapes are not concerned with individual leaves or blades of grass. The textures are mostly defined at the edges of the shapes. The layering of colors creates the interest, not the textures.
My friend Judi Wagner used to quote one of her teachers: "Stay lighter longer." It was good advice!
As I've said many times, I look for ways to frame my focal point. Foreground shadows are often the answer.
In my previous post, I explained the combination of several photos to arrive at the final composition. When I started to paint this though, I wanted to emphasize the shadowy foreground. The mid-ground uses a spotlight effect with its light values and warmer tones. I kept the sky and distant trees cooler and a bit darker to contrast the narrow strip of light, warm values.
All of the textures are in the foreground as well. The sky and background trees are preserved as shapes and simple values. Oftentimes, I see students wanting to define every leaf in the background, thus taking away the contrast in textures.
I love trees! More to come soon!
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