Another Theme - Another Variation - Provence Meadow II

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In May I was plein-air painting here (1) and back in the studio later that day, I painted 2 and 3 based on this particular scene. What had intrigued me about the location was the dappled light through the trees, and the light and dark value pattern on the ground leading back to the dark tree verticals with the light behind. It was a view full of artistic possibilities, and I knew that I would return to it as a subject for further exploration.
After working on several larger canvases this fall I decided to try a larger interpretation of the scene. I began by drawing lines denoting tree shapes and areas to suggest shade and foreground on the white canvas with the intense pencil crayons, then applied water with a brush to soften and obliterate the lines and created a watery effect.  Then I a started to add some acrylic and basically kept painting.

              

As I painted and at the end added more intense pencil lines where I wanted some graphic emphasis - which you may be able to see in the details below.

The finished painting looks like this - and I was pretty happy with it - having achieved a painterly, abstract, loose version of the field. And I love the colour too.

Provence Meadow II

40" x 30"  acrylic on canvas

Interpreting the Scene

Vista near St. Saturnin  (14" x 18")

Challenge #3: Interpreting the Scene

When I paint from photographs I do not slavishly copy the image. I crop, eliminate, add, stylize, and exaggerate – shapes, colours, lines and motifs, keeping in mind my memories about the place. Faced, literally, with a real landscape, I found it challenging to decide how to paint it, how to best interpret it using my personal visual vocabulary. At first I tried to paint what I saw in a fairly exact manner, but that felt too weird – so I eventually reverted to my normal studio interpretive approach (as much as possible), had more fun painting and was happier with the results. 

the real view

More Colour Fun

Evening Glow
20" x 30" - acrylic on canvas  SOLD

This is the second of the two paintings I worked on in the last few days. I think it really helped me to stay loose to go back and forth between them. I usually have a couple of paintings on the go, but this was the first time that I can recall, that both were resolved and completed in a relatively short time. Simply put,  I was in the (painting) zone and it was great! 

The subject for this work was another photo I took whilst visiting Vancouver Island several years ago. This shot from the car window is looking up at the giant fir trees. As beautiful as the scenery there is, the real colours (green and grey) were boring and the lighting was flat - so I took creative license and turned day to dusk and green to purple, blue, pink, orange and yellow.