Today I am posting about the artistic process I use to translate a small plein air study into a larger studio painting.
This is a close-up of a small painting that I completed on location recently during the Crossnore Paint Out. I loved the gleaming white church in the clearing, but I must confess that all of the different greens presented quite a challenge. I spent more time mixing colors and rejecting them than I did putting the paint on the canvas! In the end, I thought the greens of the church's painted metal roof were "right on". Unfortunately my time ran out (sun going behind the trees), and I could not get satisfied with the architectural elements of the painting. But I was excited about having gotten the color notes right, and so, back home in the studio...
This is an 18 x 18 inch painting (more details here), painted by using the plein air piece as an inspiration and guide. The big painting is more than six times the size of the small one. By using a square format, I had room to show more space around the church, which allows it to breathe. I also had time to plan my composition carefully enough to include the cross atop the steeple--a key element that I loved about the church. And I like the rhythm created by showing the windows of the sanctuary.
There is always something lost, as well as something gained, when taking a small study to the next level. The biggest challenge is to maintain the spontaneity and freshness of the original. In this large painting, I tried to capture the gesture of the roof and the trees with big, bold strokes--which I think helped to preserve the zest of the original. Let me know which is your favorite!
For the curious: My title for the larger painting comes from A. E. Housman's poem "Bredon Hill".
"Church Study"
8 x 6
NFS
This is a close-up of a small painting that I completed on location recently during the Crossnore Paint Out. I loved the gleaming white church in the clearing, but I must confess that all of the different greens presented quite a challenge. I spent more time mixing colors and rejecting them than I did putting the paint on the canvas! In the end, I thought the greens of the church's painted metal roof were "right on". Unfortunately my time ran out (sun going behind the trees), and I could not get satisfied with the architectural elements of the painting. But I was excited about having gotten the color notes right, and so, back home in the studio...
"Come All to Church"
18 x 18
This is an 18 x 18 inch painting (more details here), painted by using the plein air piece as an inspiration and guide. The big painting is more than six times the size of the small one. By using a square format, I had room to show more space around the church, which allows it to breathe. I also had time to plan my composition carefully enough to include the cross atop the steeple--a key element that I loved about the church. And I like the rhythm created by showing the windows of the sanctuary.
There is always something lost, as well as something gained, when taking a small study to the next level. The biggest challenge is to maintain the spontaneity and freshness of the original. In this large painting, I tried to capture the gesture of the roof and the trees with big, bold strokes--which I think helped to preserve the zest of the original. Let me know which is your favorite!
For the curious: My title for the larger painting comes from A. E. Housman's poem "Bredon Hill".
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