Amy's Barn 10x10" Acrylic
I'm having some fun playing with abstracting my subject and taking a lot of liberty with color. It's a very freeing experience! (Original Photo by Amy Shawley)
A colorful Climb MONDAY, AUGUST 24, 2015
Sixty Six Steps 10 x12" Acrylic SOLD
Greek Courtyard WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 12, 2015
Greek Courtyard 8x10" Acrylic
One of the things I like to do is take a scene and 'make it my own' - by simplifying the detail, playing with with warm and cool colors, simplifying values, even abstracting it a bit. It's a fun exercise which I will be giving in my upcoming workshop - not that I am expecting the scenes to need any help! Below is the actual reference.
Tuscany Landscape Painting With Sunflowers
Tuscany Landscape Painting With Sunflowers
Tuscany Landscape Painting With Sunflowers
This Tuscany inspired landscape painting depicts a field of sunflowers painted with a minimal palette. It's created with a harmonious palette of alizarin, ochre, green and purple on canvas and measures 10" x 12".
Artwork Details
The time has come... I'm packing for the trip. In an effort to keep the weight to a minimum, I was experimenting with a limited palette. I used 4 colors in this painting. (Plus white, if you consider that a color.) Purple, green, ochre and alizarin. Yup, that's all! It's amazing how few colors one can get away with and still represent a scene realistically. Not that I will be bringing only four colors, but it was an interesting exercise. One of the benefits of a limited palette - automatic color harmony. The other - way less schlepping!
"Tuscany Sunflower Field" 10x12" Acrylic
Next to Compton's
"Next to Compton's" 12x12" Acrylic
Tuscany is known for its huge fields of Sunflowers. I figured this would be good practice for my upcoming workshop. Several people have asked if the workshop is acrylics only - I will be demo-ing in OPEN acrylics (the slow drying paint) but it is for all media - oil, watercolor, pastel too. Join us if you can!
Lavendar Lane
"Lavendar Lane" 12x12" Acrylic
This street is in Nyack, NY, looking east towards the Hudson River. I believe this street is First Ave., but I think it should be "Lavendar Lane". I love repainting homes in lively colors, changing street names, trimming trees ... Artistic license, it's the best!
Nyack Houses
"Nyack Houses" Acrylic 12x12"
Yesterday I was sitting in a doctor's office waiting, waiting and...waiting some more. I was looking out the window and suddenly it hit me. My view was incredible. But more importantly, all I had to do was walk outside and I would be immersed in extreme beauty, like everywhere. Why am I not painting this gorgeous town? It offers everything I love to paint - urban setting, color, charm, structure, flowers, landscapes, etc. Here is the first of hopefully many paintings of Nyack, NY, Edward Hopper's hometown, and mine too.
Tuscany Sunset
"Pink Sunset in Tuscany" 8x10" Acrylic
In contrast to what I wrote in yesterday's post, there are times when there is absolutely no reason to push or change colors one iota. This scene would be that. In order to maintain some type of color unity, I allowed myself only 3 colors (4 including white): Quinacridone Magenta, Thalo Blue and Cad. Yellow Light. The good 'ol imited palette concept - a little more mixing but it keeps the harmony, not to mention lot less schlepping!