It all started with a glimpse of the perfect red barn, overlooking rolling acres of grass and grain. For some reason, I was especially captivated by
the shadow side of the barn. I could see just a tiny oblique slice of the shaded wall, but I loved the shadow shape cast along the ridge of the little bluff. I also loved the way the sun washed the long side of the barn, leaving an uneven shadow pattern beneath the overhang of the roof. Sun and shadow--an impressionist's great loves--I was off to the races!
the shadow side of the barn. I could see just a tiny oblique slice of the shaded wall, but I loved the shadow shape cast along the ridge of the little bluff. I also loved the way the sun washed the long side of the barn, leaving an uneven shadow pattern beneath the overhang of the roof. Sun and shadow--an impressionist's great loves--I was off to the races!
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| "Red Barn" 9 x 12, Oil on Linen (c) Lesley Powell 2014 |
My plein air painting (directly above) was all about capturing the sun and shadow patterns. So much so, that I didn't take time to put the barn into its context. I loved the barn itself in the plein air painting, and yet I thought it would be interesting to make it part of a more elaborate composition.
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| "High Country Barn" 10 x 17, Oil on Linen (c) Lesley Powell 2014 |
Back in the studio, two days later, I did some work with geometry. I drew a square, the a root-2 rectangle, then a root=3 rectangle, until I finally found the horizontal format I was looking for. Armed with the plein air painting, some sketches, and some reference photos, I set to work. I did take some liberties with the placement of the fence, in order to help move the eye through the painting. I was pleased with the outcome (immediately above). I think that showing the gesture of the landscape gives the barn even more interest. A good lesson for the future!
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