The Road Goes on Forever - process shots (and a song!)

The Road Goes On Forever, 8 x 10, oil on panel

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Today's painting title comes from a song of the same name by Texas singer-songwriter, Robert Earl Keen. It's fun to be in a concert when he sings the chorus, "the road goes on forever and the party never ends!", because EVERYONE joyfully jumps in. It's contagious!! Robert Earl announced his retirement last week... but I have to say, it's for all the right reasons. He wants to go out while he still LOVES what he is doing (not because he is sick or tired or bored). Good for him!! 

This painting is a demo from my last workshop. Throughout the painting session we all kept singing that song's refrain (well, some did, and you Texans know who you are), so I had to use it for the title. An homage.

And below... process shots... the road goes on forever... 

1) Sketched outlines of big shapes for placement, size and composition.

2) Blocked in masses of value, to indicate the planes of the landscape:

Upright plane, distant upright plane (or slant), ground plane, and sky plane.

3) Massed in best average value of greens for the uprights.

Distant uprights are cooler and more muted than foreground uprights.

4) Massed in ground plane observing color changes within the overall value.

5) Added sky plane, and included a variety of temperatures at the horizon. 

Broke up masses in each plane with highlights and lowlights. 

... and the party never ends!!! 

Thank you, Robert Earl Keen!

Welcome to the Winery - with process shots!

Welcome to the Winery, 10 x 8, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2019

Available

This is a demo from my spring workshop in Wimberley, TX, an all-inclusive art retreat, where it's all art, all the time! It's a perfect way to teach and to learn! So much bonding, so much art opportunity, so many break throughs and so much fun! My next one is on the calendar coming up in March 2020! Join us (see below)!

On one of the days, we painted at a local winery. This is the road that leads to the tasting room and I couldn't resist the tunnel effect of the trees and the one-point perspective provided by the driveway. The workshop was all about composition, and this was a perfect example of using the design to lead the eye. Below are process shots of the piece coming together...

Block in using ultramarine and burnt sienna. Establish focal point from the beginning.

Mass in dark uprights. Use the best average color and value, and go after big shapes. 

(Painting is rubber banded into a wet panel carrier. Please excuse obstructed view.)

Mass in Ground Plane. Again, use best average color and value and simple shapes. 

Break up masses with subtle shifts of temperature and value. This allows detail to be "suggested" without getting too fussy. Add highlights to indicate light and pop the color (be careful not to overdo it!)

You can see that I made some adjustments on the final piece: 1) The tasting room needed defining (it had grown taller than planned) and brightening (it was too muted). 2) The tree shadows broke up the road too evenly, so I tightened up the space between. 3) The tree foliage was pointing out of the picture, so I spread/enlarged the canopy in order to bring the eye back down and INTO the tunnel leading to the winery. 

Regarding #3... sometimes things need adjusting! :)

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2020 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

SEE DETAILS ON MY WEBSITE: laureldaniel.com