A very appropriate phrase... for a mission completed... on this beautiful sunny 4th of July Holiday! My happy thoughts of good will are sent to all of my American followers who are celebrating... in their own significant ways across the United States!
Thanks to those who sent along encouraging comments when my drawing attempts "failed to ignite"... leaving "Me" in a circling orbit... and a bit discouraged and grabbing for straws to get back on course. Responses indicated that many of us were in the doldrums... and struggling with our separate creative spirits. Thanks too... for the many suggestions and strategies that many of you offered!
I did regain the groove... after my after supper plein air sortie to the 6th Line of Oro-Medonte. That exercise seemed to buoy up my spirits... and I have managed to complete the 24x 30 inch canvas today in fine style... with only a bit of reworking needed in the rock ledge behind the dory. I had it well lit and of a different structure... but it loomed over the dory and dominated the foreground... as shown in the upper jpeg.
I mulled it over in my mind overnight and made the final decision to make the changes shown in the lower jpeg. I think that you will agree... that the dory now has the prominence it rightly deserves... and especially after all of the suffering to make its lines authentic!
That rock structure more closely resembles the actual rock formation in Bell's Cove... layers of limestone dropping into the water. The daisies were there... the dory indeed is a well-weathered red... and the composition is... as it was or... as I care to remember it! HA HA!!! A few "licks and promises" are still to be added to tweek up values etc... but basically... done like dinner!
The title for the piece is "Morning Slipping Quietly Into Bell's Cove, Nova Scotia! I hope that you enjoy this Maritime Canada moment!
Happy 4th of July .... All!
Good Painting!... and Happy Summer!
Hi Bruce I did notice the changes to the rocks by the boat before I read your comments. I do think the changes have improved the composition greatly. It was worth the time taken to bring the painting together especially as you were having some trouble with it earlier on. Well done, the painting looks very nice and full of sunshine too.
ReplyDeleteWhat a stunning piece, Bruce! So sharp and yet soft at the same time. So beautifully rendered. I find myself wishing that I lived on that property. What glory each and every day would bring!
ReplyDeleteHi Caroline!... IT is ALWAYS right for any artist to maintain control of the direction of his or her vision in what they wish to create.
ReplyDeleteIt is often... but not always wise... to seek the opinion of another viewer to assess the picture... if one responds or reacts wholly on the other's opinion.
Finding that delicate balance is not easy... but it can be done. I very much trust Deb's opinion... and usually it aligns itself with my own. I am fortunate to ahave an "in house" critic whom I can implicitly trust! HAHA!!
Thanks for the gracious comments regarding the piece. Your opinion always counts!
Good Painting!
Warmest regards,
Bruce
Hi there Sherry!... Thank "You" for stopping by and for leaving such uplifting and encouraging comments!
ReplyDeleteCapturing that feeling of light and shadow in the picture became just as important in the end...as the objects ... like the dory that I had become too obsessed with. I believe that the plein air adventure two days earlier likely led me to this zone... and helped me create this focus and mood in the painting!
Bell's Cove is indeed sanctuary - a special place... and my quiet day there in the summer of 1999... shared with an outstanding and well respected Nova Scotian painter, Joan Dewar sketching there... was constantly lodged in my mind throughout the entire course of making this painting. Strange how art sustains memory... of events... people... and even conversations????
Good painting!
Warmest regards,
Bruce
Thats so interesting to see how you took out those big rocks and replaced them with plants! That was the perfect touch to let the dory come forward. Enchanting painting!
ReplyDeleteThanks Katherine! Making art... is about taking chances and about using one's intuition to make the scene..."better"... if only in one's own mind.
ReplyDeleteCreate to "Me"... has always connoted a process of first "seeing"... then interpretation... leading to one's own impression of what are the strongest elements in front of them.
Thanka for dropping by... and for the encouragement Matherine! Always good to hear from you!
Good Painting!
Warmest regards,
Bruce
Hi Bruce,
ReplyDeleteThose changes to the rocks have made a big difference. As you say, they were overpowering the dory, which was no good at all. The foreground has more depth now as well.
The result is another nice piece of local character.
All the best,
Keith
Well, thanks for the "happy 4th" wishes, Bruce. Say... when do you Canadians celebrate "Independence Day"???
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to see the changes you made.. I so often struggle with just identifying what's wrong with a painting... not to mention... deciding what to do about it.
Be well.
Hi there Keith!.. Thanks for the visit and supportive comment!
ReplyDeleteOften it is hard to let go of what we think we want in a picture and the "intruder" often lingers...even refuses to depart. Painting over passages carefully worked requires a certain kind of courage... but as you so correctly stated... the rocks in fact "sunk" the dory.
I'm pleased with the result... just some tidying up to do now... and then off the dory "sculls" to my gallery in Nova Scotia!
Good Painting!
Warmest regards,
Bruce
Hi Marian!... Thanks for visiting and for you comment!
ReplyDeleteWe celebrated Canada Day on July 1st this year... observed with the usual fanfare of flag waving... food... fireworks and celebratory events in every small town or village!
The painting simply looked questionable to "Me"... heavy in that right hand side... and the rocks had been given as much volume and special surface treatment as the dory. The dory was my main interest. Goodbye to the "rock concert!" HAHA! A better painting!
Good Painting!
Warmest regards,
Bruce
Hi Bruce,
ReplyDeleteCan't believe this one got past me. It's great, all your hard work paid off. I love your ability to capture the warm glow of sun light, whether rising or setting. Beautiful atmospheric quality , love it.
All the best to you,
Joan
Hi there Joan!... Light is something I always try to capture in my painting process... at either the "rising or setting."
ReplyDeletePerhaps it is my belief that light is symbolic of happiness and peace... and in those special hours ... at the beginning and end of each day, one can best enjoy the landscape bathed in that special pinkish light!
Thank you for your gracious comments and visit Joan. Your latest pieces are nothing short of marvellous as I said in my comment.
Good Painting!
Warmest regards,
Bruce
Hey Bruce,
ReplyDeleteGlad to see that ya 'clocked the block' or 'rocked yer block'...in rather grand fashion I might add! Beautiful work both during and after...
Jeffrey
Hey there Jeffrey!.... Yup! Weasled my way through the maze... and came out the other end better off than when I entered. Sometimes... you just have to go through those fallow periods... and take a time out!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the "grand" comments and encouragement!
You're having a great run yourself! Summer really is inspiring. One can't help but get caught up in all the energy and growth that is taking place all around us!
Good painting!
Warmest regards,
Bruce
hello my friend! i too have recently climbed out of the doldrums and am glad to see you have as well. the changes you made on this brought it to perfection! beautifully done!! and a belated happy fourth to you and yours as well. happy painting!
ReplyDeleteHello Suzanne!... In the "Sea of Life"... and the "Land of Art"... there are doldrums! As exasperating as they are... and as unpredictable in their stay and discouraging as they can become... maybe... just maybe... it's a way for the body and mind to escape... and recover from our obsessive-compulsive need and drive to paint!
ReplyDeleteGlad that we're both "back in the saddle again!"
Thanks for the encouragement... best wishes and visit!
Good Painting!... and Happy Summer Suzanne!
Warmest regards,
Bruce