Thursday, April 9, 2020

Fix It Friday #6 - Palm Tree Promenade



Palm Tree Promenade, 8 x 8, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2020
SOLD

This little plein air piece was so fun to paint, and I was happy with it. Then... on closer look... I started seeing little nits. Hmmmm, why do we always have to take that closer look? This one fell into the "while I'm at it" category. I didn't change much, but I do like it so much better!


 BEFORE


AFTER
CHANGES:
Problem 1 - The sky plane was not separating out from the other planes enough.
Fix 1 - Added more layers of clouds to get added light into the sky.
Fix 2 - Lightened the sky at lowest point on horizon.
(Fix 1 and 2 - Lighter sky pushes it farther back from the mountain.)

Problem 2 - Palm trees on right were clumpy and too evenly spaced.
Fix 1 - Added a bit of sky top edge to break up the foliage clumps.
Fix 2 - Broke up the Per•fect•ly E•ven spaces where the palm trunks enter the foliage, by changing the direction of just the middle tree trunk.

OBSERVATIONS:
Sometimes little nuances can make all the difference. A small value shift in one area allows the whole piece to make more sense. Likewise, making sure that spaces are more random and irregular removes visual monotony. As I have said before, I hope that taking the time to observe and analyze these "issues" will help me avoid repeating the same errors over and over. 


Click Here to see Fix it Friday #2 

2 comments:

Penny from Enjoying The Simple Things said...

A am amazed at how much a difference makes with the little changes. I love this one.

Barbara Muir said...

Great work Laurel,

I think of your work often when I paint. I wish you were nearby, and we weren't in Lockdown. I'd jump in my car and bring my current work over for a consult. I'd pay of course!

But alas. Just love your work and your kind explanations.

XOXOXOXOXOXO Barbara