Saturday 7 January 2017

30 in 30: Day Seven

Day Seven 
20" x 30" - acrylic on canvas - $400
This is today's painting, number seven in the 30 paintings in 30 day challenge. I will admit, however, that I have been working on this for a few weeks and today made the last change, for better or for worse. The composition was inspired by one of the photos I took on my Scottish road trip last June, though at this point I can't tell which one as I have simplified the composition so much that the specific landscape elements have all but disappeared. Oh well. Below are two earlier stages. 

This was stage one which I lived with until earlier this week. I wasn't totally sure about all the red and the black, but I did quite like the top third of the painting.  Here is a detail....


 In stage two above, I toned down the red (to a muddy burgundy), eliminated the black and painted that area over with a toned down grey-green.  I also changed the sky, and the colouring of the top of the hill.  After a considering this version over the last few days I decided to paint over over the grey-green with a toned down blue-violet, and I think it's now finished. I will rename it as soon as I can figure out where in Scotland it, in some small way reflects. 
If you have any thoughts about what I should or should not have done, I would love to hear them! Cheers!


1 comment:

  1. I really like your alterations. If you divided stage one into four quarters, you were left with that big chunk of red in the lower right quarter. That big area of red distracted me & kind of prevented me from enjoying the top third of the painting, which is so beautiful. I like both new versions of the bottom left portion of the painting - both the grey-green and the blue-violet. Each adds more interest to the piece without overpowering it. This encouraged me to focus on that magic you've got going on at the top of the painting. I guess what I'm trying to say is that adding the neutrals really made your focal point pop (just couldn't spit it out). Love this piece, Patricia!

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