Bluebonnet Trail - Fix It Friday #8

Bluebonnet Trail, 6 x 8, oil on canvas, L. Daniel © 2020

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Can it really be Friday again? Are you like me, becoming more and more confused about what day and month it is? Yikes! The corona-calendar is beginning to blurrrrrr... Today's fix it takes place in the blooming fields of Texas in the spring time. Let's go there! :)

BEFORE

AFTER

CHANGES:

Problem 1 - Composition! The focal point is poorly placed on the edge of the canvas. All the lines lead to that focal point and the eye keeps on going, right out of the canvas.

Fix 1 - Moved tree focal point away from the edge of the painting.

Fix 2 - Redirected trail... better use of perspective to let the eye "amble in" and around in the painting.

Problem 2 - Background and foreground fought for attention.

Fix 1 - Established a better defined focal point with new trees in middle ground.

Fix 2 - Muted color and softened contrast of distant tree line to push it back.

Fix 3 - Softened contrast of bluebonnets to let the eye move past them. 

OBSERVATIONS:

One composition rule says that when two design elements touch, the best practice is to either overlap them or pull them apart. Otherwise, this tangent creates visual tension. In this case, the two design elements were the tree mass focal point and the edge of the canvas (yes, the four edges of the canvas must always be considered in the overall composition.) Moving the focal point immediately released that tension. The rest of the changes were just gravy. 

This is ANOTHER reminder to give myself permission to move things around. Copying a scene tree for tree, and plant for plant does not always make the most pleasing composition. Rearranging the elements allowed this painting to flow in a much more natural, easy way.

Click Here to see Fix It Friday #1

Click Here to see Fix it Friday #2 

Click Here to see Fix it Friday #3

Click Here to see Fix it Friday #4

Click Here to see Fix it Friday #5

Click Here to see Fix it Friday #6

Click Here to see Fix it Friday #7