High Waters

High Waters

30" x 24"  - acrylic on canvas -SOLD

I have been living with this landscape for a few weeks now, and continue to really like it. It evolved in much the same way as my other landscapes: initially inspired by a photo reference, or a combination of visual ideas, and then just more painting, with thinking time between working sessions. 

The photos below will give you an idea of that progression.

I started with a very high horizon line, and broke down the "space" below into a variety of abstract shapes, essentially thinking it was 'land', but it felt very static and had very little value contrast. 

I decided to organize all the small land shapes into more distinct areas, so added some big curving lines that descended down from the right hand trees, and across the picture plane. I also began to experiment with colour and value. 

At this stage I really liked the overall patterning and palette, but it needed some pizzazz. I had already drawn into the painting with a dark acrylic marker which disappeared as I painted. To add emphasis, a greater level of abstraction and hopefully pizzazz, I  drew back into the composition with a white acrylic marker, but only in some areas. And once that happened, so did the magic. It moved from being a 'scape of descending hills to a 'scape of waves on water with trees reflections!