Foreground Focus...to Push - and - Pull

The "Art God" was listening!... Prayer is powerful!...So is Patience! I awoke yesterday... and went directly to the studio....heartened to find that all areas of the painting... including the sky completely dry.This meant that I could proceed with my plan to proceed without fear of the drying problem again... because I had purchased two 200ml tubes of titanium alkyd white to carry to the end of this particular project... and well beyond!

I decided to begin work by more clearly defining the shapes, values and textures of the foreground field stone fence line. In so doing... I would be better able to compare states of finish required to balance the whole composition... the colour harmony and the play of light upon the various areas of interest and need... from back to front in the picture plane.

I spent a significant amount of time "scumbling" and "glazing" colour into the surface of individual stones... reshaping... defining... shading and adding crevices to create a semi-finished look on which I could compare front... middle and background planes. Afterward... I marched across weed and plant structure along the length and directly behind this wall... in a loose and "painterly" fashion to create a bridge between the rock and the furrowed field advancing to the foreground. I then added light and colour shifts in the furrows right into the plant masses.

Later in the evening after supper, I returned and began the "push-and-pull" process which in my own words means to subtly adjust edges... values and to add small amounts of detail in areas that merit attention. This activity can be seen clearly in the changes in the barn... house and even in the upper reaches of the fiery autumn trees... where shadows have been added... brights heightened... and evergreens added to provided variety and interest for the eye.Note that the huge "hump" of treeline to the left of the barns has been eliminated... and replaced with a lower horizon. Red leaves have been added to the taller trees and shrubs to the left. It is clear and encouraging to me now... that my decisions regarding the radiating furrows and the enlargement of the barn complex were successful strategies taken... all the risking worth the sweat!

Stay tuned for the next post or two... when the conclusion of this commission will be reached. "I" hope that this exercise and insight into "how" commissions can be made exciting and successfully reached through careful planning and ....PATIENCE!

Good Painting to ALL!
Bruce

Following the Flow....

"The Flow" is that intense state one attains when the artist and piece of art are "inter meshed"... and the artist really is unaware of the passage of time, surroundings or any other needs.It is a fairly pleasant state usually, despite the intensity of thoughts and actions and can last hours at a time for "Me".

Not surprisingly however, it often is disrupted prematurely... out of sheer necessity... by outside influences such as other family members, call to meals or in my case the actual preparation of meals-"I" am the cook of the household (by choice)... while my wife carries out cleaning duties. We both feel that this a fair arrangement... but we occasionally help the other with their "assignment/choice".

I try to prepare meals early in the day... just so I can sustain this productive period for a longer duration of time.I often return to the easel after evening meal, but find that even the smallest of time away from the work creates a "block"... and it is difficult to get the "feel of the paint" and the mood... from where I left off. We are indeed strange creatures of habit and ritual worship!

During this next session, I was able to rework the background areas to near completion... with some possible tonal adjustments and edge refining at the concluding session later. I then moved along the left hand fence line to define what was happening up to the foreground.

Finally... I decided that it was necessary for me to now direct my attention to the foreground rock fence... simply establishing individual rocks in very washy colour to at least offset the stark difference between the fore and middle ground areas.I then added a few foliage details be hing the rock mass to indicate possible directions across the entire rock mass.

I discovered... to my chagrin.. that the upper left sky area is not drying as quickly as usual. I used an older half tube of "Soft Mixing Formula" titanium white because I ran out of my usual fast-drying alkyd white. All of the linseed oil has leached into the mouth of the tube. Besides causing a mess to clean up on my palette... it has provided a runnier, much oilier and much slower drying version of the usual pigment.

I decided to not push forward using this problem-causing white. I added some gel medium to the white and simply created a "grisaille" rendering of each rock... hoping that it will dry up overnight.

I have to wait it out... or scrape and start over. Liking the existing sky... I have elected to raise the heat in the studio.. and patiently wait overnight and see what the morning brings. Be back to you... hoefully tomorrow... when the paint's dry!!!

Good painting!
Bruce