Beach Cove Overlook - and reworking a painting

Beach Cove Overlook, 18 x 36 , oil on canvas, L. Daniel © 2018

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"How do you know when you are finished?" This is an often asked question to which I usually answer, "when there is nothing left in a painting that bothers me." This is one that kept bothering me as it dried on the shelf in my studio. Apparently, I was not done with it.

I stared at it for weeks (sometimes these things are hard to figure out) and finally determined what the problems were: 1) the foreground needed a stronger lead-in, and 2) the cove in the background needed to settle into the distance a little better. Below are the "before and after" shots so you can see the changes.

BEFORE...

AFTER REWORKING

Adding a path was the obvious solution for the lead-in problem, but the cove issue was trickier. Was it the shape? (Yes, too round.) Was it the size? (Yes, too dominant.) And most important - how to fix it? After much thought, I decided to add more grasses to overlap some of the water. It was a scary choice and a bit counter-intuitive to hide a beautiful, natural water feature. 

Well... That small change made the cove more of a sliver, and pushed it into it's proper space in the background. Instant relief! I'm glad I kept at it until it stopped bothering me. :)

Ready for Harvest - Radiant Group Show

Ready for Harvest, 18 x 36, oil on canvas, L. Daniel © 2017

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This is the last of my pieces represented in the Davis Gallery summer group show. In case you missed an earlier post, the show is "focused on radial compositions, luminescent surfaces, circular shapes, and all things Radiant..." 

As I worked on each painting, a local farm scene from my plein air workshop kept screaming to be painted. This angle, with it's one point perspective, added another whole level to the radial design concept. In addition to the circular form of the flowers, the radiating design of their petals, the luminescent quality of their color... the rows of plants themselves create a radiating pattern as they disappear into the distance. 

Radiant. I love this theme. The show is up through August 19 at the Davis Gallery in Austin, Texas. For purchase inquiries, please contact Kevin Ivester, kevin@davisgalleryaustin.com.