A tale of two paintings
It was the best of art, it was the worst of art…
I recently finished two mini landscapes inspired by the same set of reference images. I’ve been on a hiatus from landscapes and my attempt at getting back into them last year was to start small. I am finally getting into a bit of a rhythm and I have these two to thank for it. So, let’s compare these two little landscapes and what I learned from them.
Which one do I like better?
The left. I like the colors and the marks better. There is more spontaneity here, it isn't overworked or overthought.
Which one took longer?
The right. Uuuuggggh why can't I learn? I need to really figure out my colors before diving in. This one had so many layers because I kept getting the colors wrong or getting stuck in the details. There are like 4 paintings in there and it took about 8 months to finish because I kept getting annoyed and tossing it aside.
Which one came first?
The right. Again it went off track early on and at some point I decided to try again on a blank canvas but was determined not to give up on the first yet. This freed me up to play around with differences which made both paintings better. The left only took a few sessions to complete, but in reality it took as long as the first, because those lessons went directly into its making.
Early layers on the first painting. It got messy too early and I couldn’t commit to a color story. I think a contrasting underpainting would have helped, which I did in the second painting.
Lessons learned?
I'm trying to figure out what I want from landscapes. How I want to feel when I paint them, how I want them to look, etc. And to figure it out I've been painting minis. These two have launched that process and the act of completing them together has helped solidify some ideas and directions of what I want.
Gesture but not sloppy. I want my marks to be purposeful so that there can be fewer of them, retaining a raw quality and spontaneity but having impact as part of the overall image and story. When I am sloppy or rushed I make mistakes which can lead to overworking.
Underdeveloped and more developed areas. Keeping things unfinished in some areas while adding more detail and texture in other is a cool way of drawing the attention where you want it and I am interested in doing more of this. It also helps keep the painting from being overwhelmingly busy.
Color planning. As previously mentioned, it helps me keep loose and focused if I have a pallete already fairly well established when I start, so I'm not thinking about mixing and harmony during the process. It also keeps me from relying too much on the reference photo, which is something that leads to overworking and too much attention to detail at the cost of the overall image.
Keeping the reference image at an arms length. My landscapes work best when I create a charcoal sketch from a photo and then rely on the sketch and my predetermined color pallete during the painting process. Otherwise, I end up trying to copy and getting stuck on the details. It's just my default mode I can't escape it. But then I'm too impatient to actually paint what I see, so I paint what I *think I see* and that is the literal #1 mistake you can make when painting. It's why beginners get so frustrated with their work. Our brains are powerful and convincing but as artists we need to use our eyes. I combat my nosey brain by avoiding the reference photo.
Unexpected elements. I am making a painting, so I don't want my art to look like a photo. I want some weird stuff to be in there, whether it be a color or a mark. Why? I'm not exactly sure, to make the view smile? To be playful? Life isn't so serious after all. And if we can add a little unexpected flair, I think we should wherever we can.
And that’s all for now. Stay tuned as little landscapes come to fruition. Sign up for studio updates below :)
