My plein air painting of the Kaweah Post Office really bothered me.
First, there was something wonky with the roof; second, the signs looked wrong, sloppy, crooked, unacceptable; third, the light was not doing anything worth looking at. So, I messed with all those things. The color will be better when it is finished and I scan it.
Later I will address the lack of detail in the giant oak tree.
This one of the river. . . hmmm not sure why it bothers me, so not sure what to fix. I can’t find the original photo, or perhaps I changed it so much that I can’t recognize the original photo. Because I don’t paint the river often enough to truly understand it, I have to study the photos very carefully to make sure I am not depicting impossible things.
It feels more believable to me now. I will probably continue to add detail, because drawing with my paintbrush is my specialty.
Neither one of these feels finished, but I will continue to work on them. I still don’t know what to do with the snowball bush/Moro Rock/Alta Peak painting. It might just become something completely different.
My show “Still Here” is still there, at Arts Visalia, that is. The phone # to make an appointment to see it is 559-739-0905. Gallery hours are Wednesday through Saturday, noon-5:30. The last day to see my work there is Friday, April 30.
2 Comments
My opinionated observations, Jana: As you know I’m not a fan of plein aire, but you are making me like the Kaweah Post Office painting as you work on it. 🙂 But I have a definite opinion on the struggle of the river painting. I think it is a matter of perspective. The whole scene tilts downward to the right. The trees tilt down across the sky. The river, without a distinct right-side shoreline, looks like it must be flowing into the trees and spreading off to the right in the foreground. And, with the water appearing so abruptly in the scene then flowing straight into the viewer with little variation makes it feel unreal, without depth or interest. Perhaps the scene just isn’t worthy of your talent and efforts!
Your terrible but loving critic,
Louise
Louise, you are so right about every thing you noticed. You continue to be a tremendous help to me as I continue to learn to paint, while needing tremendous help. Thank you!
Your terrible but loving artist,
Jana
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