Monday, July 19, 2010

On the River

Six of us painted on the Credit near the Forks.  A hot and humid day.

The composition called for a green red colour strategy.  It was started with a transparent wash of red oxide. The darks were established with a mixture of Alizarin and Viridian.  The darks varied between red and green greys.  This dark set was used throughout the painting.  Subsequent painting was done around and over the darks.  The foreground water was subordinated in order to keep the eye on the subject and to provide a resting place.  The foreground was made darker and warmer.  The brush strokes were made with soft edges and little detail.  There is basically two masses in the painting.  There are a few transparent passages, and a few translucent passages.  Most of this painting is painted opaque with attention to edges.

At the Forks, 10x12, Oil on Board

The painting was done with two #8 filbert bristle brushes - one for the cools and one for the warms.  For this painting I experimented with Flake White Replacement by Gamblin.  This white is a beautiful warm white that is somewhat unpredictable as it is laid down in thick strings.  The rest of the palette was Viridian, Alizarin, Cad Yellow Light and Dark.

2 comments:

  1. Love the really strong lights. Interesting how you use a brush for warms and one for cools.

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  2. In plein air this time I wanted clean colours without cleaning the brush. Light was changing quickly and the heat was rushing in, so anything to save some time.

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