Thursday, August 6, 2020

Vineyard View - Fix It Friday #23


Vineyard View, 9 x 12, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2020
SOLD

Today's fix is from a Napa Valley trip I took a few years ago...
The day I chose this location to do some plein air painting, the sky was full of gorgeous clouds. When I came back the next morning, it was foggy but I blocked in my painting leaving LOTS of room for that glorious sky. I just knew it was coming. It never did. The fog never wore off. Best laid plans gone awry, and the painting stayed misty. Until now...

BEFORE

AFTER

CHANGES

Problem - Canvas looked "cut in half" at the horizontal center line.
Fix - Raised up the mountain tops slightly past center and added activity above the center line.

Problem - So much canvas devoted to the sky, but nothing going on.
Fix - Added a sky feature - clouds! 

Problem - Foreground field was disconnected from distant field layers. 
Fix - Darkened the foreground to a value more similar to the field beyond, and added "field markings" to make it feel like a continuation of tilled land.

Problem - Background mountain range was disconnected from previous field layers. 
Fix - Added just a "suggestion" of fields continuing into distant valleys, in order to make the valley feel expansive and cohesive.

OBSERVATIONS

Thank goodness I took some pictures of that first day with all the clouds! And thank goodness I still had them in my files! It took me awhile to revisit this one, but I'm so glad I did! It now looks like, feels like, smells like the lush valley vista that I was so compelled to paint on that California hillside!!

4 comments:

Penny from Enjoying The Simple Things said...

I love the wine country and your captured it perfectly!

Sharon Graves said...

Stunning painting. You totally rocked this one. Love love love the addition of the clouds.

Laurel Daniel said...

Thank you, Penny! I love it out there too, and think I came much closer to "catching it" with this modification. XO

Laurel Daniel said...

Thank you, Sharon!!! It so badly needed those clouds! Glad you agree! :)