Fix It Friday #4 - Dune Shadows

Dune Shadows,6 x 8, Oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2020

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I spend a lot of time on the Georgia coast and walking the beach is my favorite way to start the day. I love all of its sights and smells and sounds; and the peacefulness it offers is a daily gift. This week I heard this beach is closed! I guess it had to be done because people tend to congregate there (especially at spring break), but wow. So sad.

Since I can't be there... here is ANOTHER beach scene makeover for today's Fix-It Friday. This little plein air piece had some of the same issues as my last post!!! Hmmmmm... a recurring problem... this is a good thing to learn about myself! 

 BEFORE

 AFTER

CHANGES:

Problem 1 - Another stagnant horizon line. 

Fix 1 - Raised up the foreground grasses to break through the horizon line. 

Fix 2 - Added some activity in the sky to break up horizontal bands. 

Fix 3 - Varied water line on shore to break up horizontal bands.

Problem 2 - Focal point is off the page.

See how the line of grasses and the horizon line make a racetrack to the far right corner? They take the viewer right off the page because there is no other clear focal point. 

Fix 1 - Enlarged and enhanced the first clump of grasses, making it the focal point.

Fix 2 - Enhanced sky activity to pull the eye back in.

OBSERVATIONS:

The first problem reminds me that even if the actual subject doesn't have what I need, I can change things. There are almost always examples of what I need all around - grasses farther up on the dunes, a wisp of clouds that can be enhanced. Use everything. Even memories. 

The second problem was compositional. In this case, a little manipulation helped. The taller grasses help to keep the viewer traveling around the scene. NOW, the eye sees the large grasses first, travels up the leaning grasses, jumps to the clouds, and comes BACK to the large grasses along the dune line. (The goal is to keep the viewer in the picture as long as possible!)

Biggest take-away??? Apparently I like painting dune grasses at the beach. AND, making the same mistakes. Maybe, just maybe, I should remember these lessons and approach this subject differently next time I am outside painting it. How much better to get it right the first time!! ;)

Click Here to see Fix It Friday #1

Click Here to see Fix it Friday #2 

Click Here to see Fix it Friday #3

Fix It Friday #3 - Beach Study

Beach Study, 6 x 8, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2020

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I hope this post finds you well. It has been a crazy week all over the country, as we have watched institutions shut down and events get canceled. I've had to cancel my own upcoming workshops, which makes me so sad. It's a nerve-wracking time for us all.

So... let's have some fun with paint on "Fix It Friday"... 

FIXER UPPER #3 - Beach Study, 6 x 8, oil on panel

BEFORE

AFTER

CHANGES:

Problem 1 - Stagnant horizon line.

Fix 1 - Extended the grasses up over the horizon, made focal point more pronounced. 

Fix 2 - Added birds at horizon for movement and to draw eye into the picture plane.

Problem 2 - Foreground is cramped.

Fix 1 - Eliminated shadow and grasses in corner which opens up entry to beach.

Fix 2 - Kept part of the shadow lead in, but muted way down.

Problem 3 - Overall coolness in color.

Fix 1 - Warmed up sandy foreground.

Fix 2 - Warmed up clouds.

OBSERVATION:

It's always a good idea to let one element dominate. In this case the big clump of sea grasses are the main "event", but they were diminished in the first version. Giving them a larger presence and popping them above the horizon allows them to have the attention they are due.

Click Here to see Fix It Friday #1
Click Here to see Fix it Friday #2 

FIX IT FRIDAY 2 - Bowing to the Mist

Bowing to the Mist, 8 x 6, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2020

Click to purchase $120 + $16 s/h

Welcome back to Fix It Friday! 

This is a little painting that has been on the shelf, screaming at me for years. That little tree in front was absolutely trapped, creating visual tension. It was as if it was pruned back to fit within the edges of the canvas.  When I finally took it down and reworked it, I wondered why it took me so long. And I really wondered why I didn't notice that tension when I painted it. 

FIXER UPPER #2 - Bowing to the Mist, 8 x 6, oil on panel

BEFORE

AFTER

CHANGES:
Problem 1 - Main tree was cramped.
Fix 1 - Reshaped the tree to allow it to go off the edge of canvas.
Problem 2 - Color was dull.
Fix 2 - Brightened up the mist color and kept tree color more uniform. 

OBSERVATION:
The edges of a canvas are actually design elements, and they impact a painting's composition. The related design principle to remember here is that when two design elements meet up, either pull them back from each other or make them overlap. Letting the tree overlap the edges of the canvas (vs pulling them back in the original) is a WAY more aesthetically pleasing solution. 

Farmer's Spring - with Process Shots!

Farmer's Spring, 8 x 10, Oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2020

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I recently came across this plein air piece from one of last year's workshops that I never posted! Hmmmm... not sure how I forgot to do that, but here it is now, complete with process shots. This lovely roadside view is from Wimberley, Texas, about an hour outside of Austin (a great place to paint!) See workshop information at the end of this post, and join me for one this spring!!

Block in sketched with ultramarine and burnt sienna.

Creating a sense of distance requires a variety of greens.

Almost finished, but the piece needed something... 

Pops of more intense color and light finish the painting - added at the very end!! 

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2020 SPRING PLEIN AIR WORKSHOP INFO:

SEE DETAILS and CONTACT INFO ON MY WEBSITE: laureldaniel.com

March 30-April 2, 2020 - Wimberley, Texas

April 16-18, 2020 - St. Simons Island, Georgia

May 8-9, 2020 - Austin, Texas (full with wait list)

FIX IT FRIDAY! Fixing flawed paintings...

Beach Promises, 6 x 8, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2020

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INTRODUCING MY NEW SERIES... FIX IT FRIDAY! 

Sometimes, a painting just doesn't work. Usually, I chalk that failure up to practice, and just move on. But some of those "bloopers" have captured something. They cry out for a DO-OVER, and just need some minor editing to make them "work". With a little bit of TLC, they transform and offer up lessons about color, value, or composition. Of course, the goal is always to get it right the first time; but this process helps me identify where and how I lose the plot. (It's also a great warm up activity!)

Read on, and tune in for the next few Fix-It Fridays when I will show my experiments with Do-Overs, including before and after shots and a brief explanation of changes I made. 

Fixer Upper #1 - Beach Promises, 6 x 8, oil on panel

BEFORE

AFTER

CHANGES:

Problem 1 - Corridor to beach is too wide and exposed.

Fix 1 - Made opening more irregular, and enhanced dominance on left side. 

Problem 2 - Foliage is skimpy.

Fix 2 - Enhanced all foliage, keeping left side dominant.

OBSERVATION:
When I painted the original piece on location, I let myself get too stuck to what was actually there (skimpy foliage and all). As painters, we want to be free to exaggerate the "feeling" of the scene and adjust reality as needed. I hope I remember this lesson next time I need to change up the scene a little bit! ;)
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2020 PLEIN AIR WORKSHOP INFO:

SEE DETAILS ON MY WEBSITE: laureldaniel.com 

March 30-April 2, 2020 - Wimberley, Texas

April 16-18, 2020 - St. Simons Island, Georgia

May 8-9, 2020 - Austin, Texas (full with wait list)

Blooming Hydrangeas and Spring Workshop Info

Blooming Hydrangeas, 24 x 48, oil on canvas, L. Daniel © 2020

Commission for Private Collection - SOLD

"Blooming Hydrangeas" is another commission piece I recently completed. My client had admired some other hydrangea paintings of mine (as you know, they are a favorite subject for me), but she wanted something very specific for her newly redone bedroom. It was such fun working with her, and coming up with that perfect certain "je ne sais quoi". I love it when collaborations take me in inspiring directions. This was a fun one. 

Painting large from a proportionally smaller still life. This is NOT a "sight size" situation (if you know the sight size method)! It REALLY helps to do a smaller sketch first, for placement and composition, and for overall management of the painting.

The small graphite sketch I worked from... foundational to the painting.

The painting, framed and "in situ"! Kind of makes you want to do a room makeover, doesn't it? 

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2020 SPRING PLEIN AIR WORKSHOP INFO:

March 30-April 2, 2020 - Wimberley, Texas

April 16-18, 2020 - St. Simons Island, Georgia

May 8-9, 2020 - Austin, Texas (full with wait list)

SEE DETAILS ON MY WEBSITE: laureldaniel.com 

Austin Country Club Commission... installed and unveiled!

Davenport Clubhouse, 4' x 5', oil on canvas, Laurel Daniel © 2020

Austin Country Club Commission - SOLD

(If you follow me on social media or get my newsletter, you have seen these photos already. Please forgive my repetition, but I feel compelled to share this story here as well, since it represents a big chunk of my time and energy over the last months!) 

Here is a little bit of the story...

I was commissioned last September to do this 4' x 5' painting for the Austin Country Club (ACC), in Austin, TX. So I cleared the decks and worked on it fairly exclusively until the end of the year. Though it was not a secret endeavor, I never feel comfortable sharing much about a commission until it's totally finished and approved. On February 4th, it was installed and unveiled (literally) at a champagne reception in the main lobby of the club. Such fun!

My painting is part of a larger project that highlights and celebrates the club's history. The master plan includes a painting of each of the three clubhouses from which ACC has operated in its 100+ years. Mine depicts the current clubhouse, while the earlier two locations were interpreted by Texas artists Tom Evans and Dan Blagg. There is a fourth painting, a portrait by Carol Ivey, of three of the club's most famous golf members (Harvey Penick, Tom Kite, and Ben Crenshaw.)

It is a huge thrill and honor for me to be a part of this expansive and local project! Many thanks to the ACC board and to all who made this happen! 

A real "unveiling"... my first ever! It was actually a little tricky to get that sheet off without yanking the painting right off the wall. As you can see, I did get some help to prevent that!

The classic grinning-artist-in-front-of-painting-shot (a must have)! ;) 

Left: Hancock Clubhouse by Tom Evans

Middle: Davenport Clubhouse by Laurel Daniel 

Right: Riverside Clubhouse by Dan Blagg

Such a pretty setting, right? I am simply delighted!