Tuesday, March 18, 2008

"A Beginning"



"A Beginning" - Oil - 20" x 24" - $1200

”Life is a matter of perception. I used this painting of the setting sun's evening light to describe, not an ending or time lost and unrecoverable, but the beginning of peace and a new period of quiet reflection and its opportunity.” SFG

DEMONSTRATION:

I started with my usual toned canvas and linear sketch.



Next, I laid in the major darkest masses, varying color as needed.



To continue the darker area, I massed in the sky-lit, curved slope and the darker vertical area of the bluff that dropped precipitously in the foreground. I kept them related in value, that is, lighter than the sky would be.



Knowing the sky would have some rosy areas and using its influence, I filled in the bare area of the foreground bluff.



Once the darker values were established, I laid in the sky and softened the edges of the tree to give it dimension and atmosphere.



If you compare the step above to the finished painting, you'll see that I decided to darken and reshape the clear area of the bluff. Then I refined the drawing of the tree, making sure there was a variety of shapes and edges. Lastly, I reinforced the drama of the light coming through the branches and placed the dark accents to balance compositionally. Be sure to look at the large image in the "More info about this painting" link.




ALL SALES BENEFIT NEW ORLEANS HABITAT FOR HUMANITY



2 comments:

Rhonda Hurwitz said...

This is wonderful...I especially liked seeing the demo step by step. thanks for posting that

Jeffrey J. Boron said...

Lovely work Susan. The step by step is a nice touch!

Jeffrey