Day 3 - Lakehouse

Day three of working on the lakehouse.  It was cloudy that day, so I didn't really get to paint as long as I'd have liked.  Since I'm depending on the outside light I can only work when the light is right.  At our other home I had plenty of light in my studio area, but I also had some overhead flourescent lighting.  I had daylight style bulbs, full spectrum.  It was close to natural light so I could paint at night.  There was a time when Tony was traveling alot that I would stay up and work nearly all night long.  Once I get started painting, I don't realize how much time has passed.  It's very engrossing for me.

I worked on the sky areas on Friday.  They are always a challenge to make clouds look like clouds.  It's easier in a plein air painting cuz you can just put big swashes of color in there, but this painting is more detailed so the sky needs to be a bit more detailed.  Plus, I had to wing the clouds because the day I took the pictures it was a blue-bird day and not a cloud in the sky...

I wanted this painting to be a remembrance of a bright sunny day with just a touch of Indian Summer, thus a few touches of fall color in the distant trees.  I was trying to get away from solid green.  On the clouds, I first took some white and blocked in where I thought the clouds would direct the eye to the center of interest.  I did not want a white cloud behind the roof of the lakehouse because there would be no contrast. Too much the same color.  So I played with the clouds for a bit until I felt satisfied with their placement.  Clouds are not solid white - if you really look at them, even white clouds have other colors in them reflected up from the ground or from other clouds.

I have the clouds blocked in now, and after they dry a bit, I will go back in and put more subtle colors and modeling into them.  I also worked on the background trees and will suggest some trunks and branches.  Not much detail because it will bring them forward and I want to keep them simple and in the distance.

Don't know if you noticed but in the photo that I'm working from there is a small skinny tree right in front and on the left side of the lakehouse.  It kept bothering me that it was in the way. So I moved it.  I'm moving it to the left of the lakehouse so it won't block the view.  Just a small dab of "artistic license" there.  I painted it out but you can still see a bit of the green foliage that will disappear when I work on the lakehouse.

OK, foreground.  I'm thinking about the foreground.  There is a huge expanse of nothing in the foreground except a hay pasture with short hay.  One has to think a little outside of the box here.  We want to keep the painting and the EYE inside the painting, so I am going to include those dark shadows in the front there.  It helps to "frame" the painting and not lose a wandering eye off the canvas.  Notice how other artists handle this problem in other paintings you may view.  You may see a painting where the artist brings the eye into the center of interest and that's where you're supposed to stay.  This landscape's feeling is peaceful and serene and I want to keep the viewer's interest in the painting and have him/her linger there in that peacefulness.  In order to do that, I will create boundaries to hold your eyes there.

Sorry, there was an afternoon glare on the painting when I took this picture.  You can see where I blocked in some shadows in the foreground and will work on that next time.  I will go around the painting and try to draw the eye inside in all areas to keep it in the mood of the painting.  Below, is a black/white photo - just checking my contrasts.  Again, the glare.  But, it's also a great way to see if my painting is working and has good contrasts.  I think after I get the lakehouse done I will have better contrast in that area.  Right now it's pretty drab.  Working on the entire painting in the last stages I will correct and enhance certain areas, create more contrast with color, maybe subdue some areas, but I want the painting to have a rich contast of colors, darks/lights, warm and cool colors, and detail and soft edges.

Again, thanks for looking!  I have to work for a couple of days, but will be back later this week!