Painting big in oils is harder than painting big on a mural. Not sure why just yet, but not giving up either.
This painting sat for a week or so at this stage.
The smallest tree in the main central clump of trees is there in real life, but it adds nothing. Looking at the painting for a week helped me see this. Now it is gone from the painting.
I was looking at several photos and couldn’t figure out which was my main reference. So, I asked Trail Guy which lighting situation he preferred, and for him, it was a “no brainer”. That helped me stop jumping from this angle to that one and back again. Then I covered the canvas with a first layer so almost no white space remains.
There are many hours remaining to complete this painting. I am the Central California artist, my specialty is Mineral King, and I can do this! (a little pep talk to myself.) Maybe if I think hard enough about this, I’ll figure out what is so difficult and then find a way through.
