Laurel Daniel Blog

Click Here to see Fix it Friday #11

Click Here to see Fix it Friday #12
Click Here to see Fix it Friday #13

Click Here to see Fix it Friday #14

Click Here to see Fix It Friday #15

Monday, June 15, 2020

Lion Planter (study)

Lion Planter (study), 8 x 8, oil on panel, L. Daniel

SOLD

This lion fountain at the Jekyll Island Club Hotel completely captured my imagination... They just don't make things with such care and detail any more! Here's what I found out about the meaning of lions in architecture... they depict nobility, power, valor, bravery and prosperity... well, no wonder they wanted this guy!!! Now the fountain is a planter full of beautifully delicate geraniums, and the lion is still there, keeping watch as his garden grows.

This is a study for a larger painting finished this week... I loved the lion so much, I had to do him again! Sometimes that happens! ;)

Thursday, June 11, 2020

Palm Trio - Fix it Friday #15

Available

This grouping of trees was the subject of one of my class demos several years ago. It's on the beautiful grounds of Laguna Gloria (a place I have missed in this crazy spring.) There is always something that catches my eye, and on this particular morning it was the light on these three trees! But... well, see below...

BEFORE

AFTER

CHANGES:

Problem 1 - All three palm trees seemed to be growing out of the exact, SAME spot.

Fix 1 - Separated the bases of the trees allowing each to be firmly grounded.

Problem 2 - The understory of the trees looked like boulders piled up.

Fix 2 - Darkened and cooled the understory allowing it to recede into the distance.

Giving the trees each a space to live in and correcting the values in the background grouping relieved a huge tension that plagued this painting.

OBSERVATIONS:

It's not unusual to become a bit intoxicated with one element of a painting and completely miss something major (like those tree bases). Focus on one thing preoccupies our mind and attention, and we completely forget the other stuff. The more we paint (or do anything) the better we get at bringing all the elements together. It takes paying attention and practice!

One friend suggested that maybe I am too hard on myself in these Fix-its. I want to share my answer, because it explains why this whole process helps me...

My ultimate goal is to learn, and to catch these things the first time around. Revisiting with an objective mind helps me discover problem "trends" in my work. Forcing myself to make the changes is like a science experiment... I start with a hypotheses and a prediction, and the end result proves my hypotheses right or wrong.

Thank you, CP!

Click Here to see Fix it Friday #11

Click Here to see Fix it Friday #12
Click Here to see Fix it Friday #13

Click Here to see Fix it Friday #14

Sunday, June 7, 2020

Courtyard Color

SOLD

I do love a garden courtyard! This is another piece from my plein air excursions in Georgia. After a picnic lunch in a shady spot and a bit of recon on Jekyll Island, we discovered that this courtyard was open AND empty! (Usually, lunch is being served under these porticos, but it was still shut down due to COVID.) There was even music playing! Truly Divine!

In these times of unrest, I share this moment of peace with you. May we all find pathways to healing, individually and as a nation.

Thursday, June 4, 2020

Distant Shore - Fix It Friday #14

SOLD

This was another large-scale "make-over" project... As I shared a few weeks ago, changes can can be scary, particularly when I have worked long and hard on a distinctly large piece. My fearful voice whispers, "leave well enough alone", while my bold voice cheers and cajoles, "don't be a wimp, go for it!!"

BEFORE

AFTER

CHANGES:

Problem 1 - The scene lacked the sense of depth I was going for.

Fix 1 - Enlarged the foreground clouds. This not only brought them closer (which helped push back the distant shore), it also provided the "reason" for such extensive beach shadows.

Fix 2 - Defined the distant figures to help reinforce the sense of scale.

Problem 2 - The sky lacked movement and drama.

Fix 1 - Gave the clouds more action by breaking up the edges.

Fix 2 - Added more layers of stratus clouds in the distance to enhance sense of movement.

OBSERVATIONS:

So what was I going for?? I wanted to capture that expansive, immenseness of nature's elements. I think I got a little closer in the second version, but it's a never ending pursuit. Creation is wonderfully grand.

Click Here to see Fix it Friday #11
Click Here to see Fix it Friday #12
Click Here to see Fix it Friday #13

Wednesday, June 3, 2020

Morning Reflections

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Last week, I was able to get outside and do some plein air painting in Georgia. Things are beginning to open up there (with lots of caution of course), and it felt mighty good to be out and about. As I drove over to Jekyll Island for the day, this view on the causeway stopped me in my tracks. We had a lovely breeze, and a morning with drifting clouds and calling birds. DELISH!

I'm sure you share my longing for the day COVID is in our rearview... let it be soon!

Thursday, May 28, 2020

Azure Fields - Fix It Friday #13

SOLD - private collection

This is another Fix-It from my archives. Although the painting (and changes) are several years old, it illustrates a huge lesson about landscapes that I encounter again and again...

BEFORE

AFTER

CHANGES:

Problem 1 - The horizon line split the top of the painting from the bottom of the painting (I'm referring to the sharp edge and high contrast where ground plane met the upright plane. The ground plane looked like a skating rink, am I right?)

Fix 1 - Muted/darkened the color of the ground plane which eliminated the high contrast.

Fix 2 - Softened the static, hard edge with grasses and flowers that break the horizontal line.

OBSERVATIONS:

To establish depth in a painting, we have several devices in our toolbox: 1) overlapping layers (indicates front and back), 2) scale shift (elements get smaller as they recede), 3) muting color (color gets more dull and cooler as it recedes), 4) eliminating contrast (values weaken as they recede.) Eliminating that sharp line at the horizon allowed everything to settle in. Ahhh... what relief!!! :)

Click Here to see Fix it Friday #11
Click Here to see Fix it Friday #12

Thursday, May 21, 2020

Beach Cove Overlook - Fix It Friday #12

SOLD

Today, I am re-sharing a "fix" I made a few years ago...

After enlarging a plein air piece I painted in California, I immediately saw problems that had not surfaced in the smaller study. Sometimes that happens when going from small to large.

Here's what happened next...

BEFORE

AFTER

CHANGES:

Problem 1 - The main subject was unapproachable (grass and foliage in the way).

Fix 1 - Added a pathway that leads to the main subject and focal point.

Problem 2 - The cove was too circular and dominant.

Fix 1 - Pushed it back by making the shape of cove and waves more elliptical.

Fix 2 - Increased the mass and height of grasses on the bluff to visually overlap the cove (which also helps to subdue it and push it back).

OBSERVATIONS:

This had the classic battle of different elements fighting for the spotlight. Background was trying to come forward, and the subject was a bit buried. By clarifying a hierarchy of elements, the tension lifted and the whole scene was able to settle into place.

Click Here to see Fix it Friday #11

Thursday, May 14, 2020

Bait Shop Morning - Fix-It Friday #11

SOLD

This plein air painting has been sitting in my studio for a couple of years... just waiting for some attention. It depicts a long-standing bait shop out in the middle of a marsh in the Golden Isles of Georgia. I love the dancing trees along the road that leads to it, and I have painted it several times from various angles and in different lighting. When I painted this one on location, I just didn't quite "get" the light and ambience of the day...

So, years later, here are some fixes...

BEFORE

AFTER

CHANGES

Problem 1 - The horizon line and row of trees was smack-dab in the middle of the picture plane and divides the painting into halves.

Fix 1 - Dropped the horizon line, the base of bait shop, and the roots of the tree trunks.

Problem 2 - The light lacked commitment and its source was undefined.

Fix 1 - Added color to morning sky.

Fix 2 - Darkened cloud bank.

Fix 3 - Added highlights to bait shop and trees to indicate light source.

Fix 4 - Darkened foreground marsh to focus light on the subject (the bait shop and road).

Fix 5 - Darkened distance uprights to help highlights in subject to pop.

OBSERVATIONS:

When painting the landscape, it's important to leave some of the details out. That can be hard because there is so much going on, and everything seems important. But we have to choose what is MOST important. It helps to keep asking myself, "what is the painting about?" I always do better when I stay "on message".

Notice everything, and then choose.