Azure Fields - Fix It Friday #13

Azure Fields, 24 x 36, oil on canvas, L. Daniel © 2020

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!!! :)

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Beach Cove Overlook - Fix It Friday #12

Beach Cove Overlook, 18 x 36, oil on canvas, L. Daniel © 2020

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.

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Bait Shop Morning - Fix-It Friday #11

 

Bait Shop Morning, 8 x 16, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2020

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.

Click Here to see Fix It Friday #1

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Lakeside Sparkle - Zoom Class Demo 2

Lakeside Sparkle, 8 x 10, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2020

SOLD

This is my "paint-along" demo for day two of my Zoom workshop. If we had been at the Art School, we could have actually set up right at this spot on the lake. As it was, our view was virtual. Besides painting, we all got quite good at pinning, unpinning, muting, and unmuting (please excuse my "zoom talk") as we worked through questions of composition, color, line and mark-making. 

Unfortunately, I have no process shots for these demos. All my devices were being used to make the class happen, and besides that, there was not a minute to spare. :)

A few thoughts about teaching on-line... While I much prefer the "in-person" experience and SO look forward to things getting back to normal, I'm grateful that the creative process can go on. Figuring out the technology was worth the effort. This Covid situation is teaching us to adapt in ways we never thought possible. That is a good thing! 

Our Zoom class photo!!! 

Many, many thanks to these wonderful students!

Winding Path - Zoom Class Demo 1!

Winding Path, 8x10, oil on panel, L. Daniel

SOLD

This weekend I taught my first painting workshop on ZOOM! It was originally scheduled as a plein air class, but like everything else this spring, it had to be modified. When our director approached me with the idea to teach it online, I was hesitant. I wasn't sure my students would willingly migrate over to the new format, I wasn't sure an online experience would be satisfying, and I was pretty sure the technology would be a huge challenge. 

BUT... it all worked out! I had four devices connected; giving me the ability to interact, show my palette and photo reference, and what display was happening on my easel. I set the sessions up as paint-along demos, and this is my piece from the first session. My students were fearless, energetically followed along, and each painted one their own (safely and socially distanced in their own homes). 

Modern technology! Wow! I'm not saying it was completely glitch-free, BUT... my students were incredibly gracious and we all had fun (which is always a major goal)!! Thank you, ALL!!!

Growing Wild - Fix-It Friday #10

Growing Wild, 6 x 8, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2020

SOLD

Friends, thank you for being there for me to reach out to! These have been strange times, and my weekly "fix" has become a stabilizing force for me. Assignments I give myself, like sharing this weekly makeover, provide new rhythms in the sea of days/weeks/months. Meanwhile, I continue to work on larger works for a later reveal. It's funny how important the patterns of life are, don't you think?

Today's do-over...

 BEFORE

AFTER

CHANGES:

Problem 1 - The distant plane (background) was not receding properly. 

Fix 1 - Muted the distant tree line and added cooler highlights.

Fix 2 - Muted and darkened the distant grasses which eliminated contrast and tightened values.

Fix 3 - Added richer greens in the foreground leaves and grasses. 

Fixes 1-2 make the distant plane recede. Fix 3 brings the front plane forward.

Problem 2 - The foreground and background seemed detached from each other.

Fix 1 - Added tree in middle ground layer to connect the foreground and background.

Fix 2 - Also added the tree to provide an important scale reference for both the distant trees AND the foreground flowers. 

OBSERVATIONS:

Constantly comparing elements in a painting is so important for creating a sense of depth. Issues of temperature (cool recedes, warm advances) and scale (closer-bigger, farther-smaller) make all the difference. Accurate and consistent comparisons allow everything to settle down and make sense. 

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Bending Sea Grasses - Fix It Friday #9

Bending Sea Grasses, 40 x 30, oil on canvas, L. Daniel © 2020

SOLD

This large piece is making its way to the Anderson Fine Art Gallery, in St. Simons Island, GA, as soon as the fixed parts dry. While it sat curing after the first go round, I started having my doubts. Why did I stop? Why did I think it was done? Well... you know what happened next... back to the easel it went!

Here are the before and after shots, with thoughts about the changes...

BEFORE

 AFTER

CHANGES:

Problem 1 - The painting was cut in half visually, with all the action in the bottom half.

Fix 1 - Added height to the mass of clouds, extending them up past the horizontal midline.

Fix 2 - Added light reference into the top half with cloud highlights, connecting ground and sky planes.

Problem 2 - Same volume in the grasses and cumulous cloud mass is repetitive and monotonous.

Fix 1 - Added volume to the clouds to differentiate them from the grasses in shape.

Problem 3 - The "spit" of land on the horizon line was too dominant and contributed to the "cutting in half" issue. 

Fix 1 - Muted down the spit of land in color and in highlights... Made it "blend" better with the environment. 

OBSERVATIONS:

It's hard to completely change a painting this size. I'm not going to lie, I was scared. What if I was wrong? Why not leave well enough alone? But I knew I had to do it. I've heard it said that if we are not always on the verge of ruining everything, we are being too cautious. 

How the change began... a few dark blobs... so scary...

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Bluebonnet Trail - Fix It Friday #8

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

SOLD

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

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Out Beyond the Shore - Fix it Friday #7

Out Beyond the Shore, Oil on Canvas, 30 x 30, L. Daniel © 2020

SOLD

Today's "fix it" subject is a large piece that I first painted in 2009... 11 years ago!! At the time, I liked it well enough, but as it never sold, it began the art storage shuffle. It went from one closet to another, under a bed, back to a closet, etc. (You artist friends know what I am talking about! And hey, 11 years goes fast!!) Eventually it ended up in the "to be gessoed over" stack in my garage. After all, I thought, it's a large canvas and I can use it again. Ever the frugal one, am I. 

Well, at the last minute, I decided to try and resurrect it. Here are the results. You can still "find" the original in there, but it became a new painting and... it's going in my upcoming show!

BEFORE (painted 11 years ago in 2009)

AFTER (edited in 2020)

CHANGES:

Problem 1 - Color palette was too intense.

Fix 1 - Covered up almost ALL of that intense orange.

Fix 2 - Saved intense orange for pop at sun (focal point) and foreground reflections.

Problem 2 - Painting lacked depth (especially in sky).

Fix 1 - Muted down the color at the horizon to push that into the distance.

Fix 2 - Added a cloud pattern to establish space with overlapping layers and values. 

Fix 3 - Made sun smaller and lower to make it look farther away. 

Problem 3 - Brushwork was amateurish.

Fix 1 - Replaced overlarge mark-making with passages of painterly strokes. 

Fix 2 - Replaced too-broad single strokes with accurately sized highlights.

Problem 4 - Rocks looked flat, like cutouts.

Fix 1 - Reworked masses for a more defining profile.

Fix 2 - Added highlights reflected from the sun to give volume. 

OBSERVATIONS:

Biggest takeaway??? Color loses its power when used everywhere in a painting. Reducing the overall orange-ness and bringing in lots of neutrals, made the remaining color much more effective. Those pops of orange now direct the eye right to the focal point of this piece, which is always the goal. It's all about restraint... knowing when to hold back!

And now I digress, but... isn't this true of many things? We tend toward overdoing. If we like it, well, more, more, more! I'm reminded of something a dear friend shared at a particularly over-committed time of my life, "you can choke on good food too, you know." She was right. 

Click Here to see Fix It Friday #1

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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 #1

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Breaking Through - with Process Shots!

Breaking Through, 30 x 30, Oil on canvas, L. Daniel © 2020

SOLD

One of my goals for this quarantine is to work on larger paintings for an upcoming solo show that is scheduled at the Davis Gallery this fall. That show may be pushed out due to rescheduling of all the canceled shows before mine... HOWEVER, I need goals. Especially now. (I'm sure you know what I mean. We are all in the same situation.) 

SO, I am going to proceed as if everything is still "on". This may be an obvious sign of my personal denial - but it's a coping skill, and I am going to use it. Somehow it helps me stay productive. ;)

I did remember to take some process shots on this one, so here you go... enjoy!

I started my block in on a toned canvas (Indian yellow painted on and vigorously wiped off), hoping to achieve some "glow". The sketch was done with a mix of ultramarine and burnt sienna (my favorite combination for under drawing).

Using a variety of grays, I blocked in the large shapes of my backlit clouds. My goal was to establish a sense of depth from the beginning. 

Once the shapes were arranged in a hierarchical order, I began to bring in some color to both the sky and the clouds. While the variety of grays helped me establish depth in the block in, they were too warm and fought with the warm sun popping through. 

The final piece - the adjusted color gave me the drama I was looking for. I happy to see how the cooler clouds gave a wonderful contrast to the warm sun as it "breaks through". 

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