'Nankoweap Noon'

-


30x40 oil on canvas

I am posting a painting which no longer exists.. it has been reworked with major revisions and several months of work had to be painted over. There are many layers in this work.. and I will post the revised version with many more layers on top of these.. the canvas is considerably heavier than a blank one.

Why did I have to rework it??  Because I did not do a drawing before I started this large piece.. only a small thumbnail with some shapes. This subject should have had a detailed drawing done before picking up a brush.. not to scale but at least a large sketchbook study. 

The Grand Canyon is not a landscape for impatient painters!  All the many parts must follow the law of perspective when doing contemporary realism. Usually I can draw well.. I spent many years only drawing as an art form and not painting.. but on this.. I did not do my homework and I paid for it. I could have had another two large paintings done in the time I spent correcting this one. I had to redraw shapes to conform to not only linear perspective.. but also the colors of all those pieces had to recess with aerial perspective. You will see when I post the newly completed 'Nankoweap Noon' the differences a few changes in composition will make to the overall feel.

So all you artists out there.. if you want to do the smart thing.. do your homework!







Popular posts from this blog

'Hite Overlook'

-
Image
First time painting on a cradled wood panel .. gessoed white .. then a layer of magenta acrylic.  I like the wood surface .. not as slick as I thought it might be. From an overlook along the highway  .. northern end of Lake Powell in Utah .. The focus of this piece is on the abstract patterns made by the rock formations that used to be covered by the lake.  Hite was a busy marina for houseboats and fisherman .. no more.  This scene is from when there was still some lake water .. but because of persistent droughts in the Southwest .. only the ancient Colorado River flows by now I might paint a pink glaze over the finished piece like this earlier version .. I like it :) 16x16   oil on wood panel natural maple frame Gallery 24 - Torrey Utah
Read more

'Reef Savanna'

-
Image
Drive down the Notom Road on the east side of Capitol Reef NP and you will come upon a wonderland of towering walls of colored earth .. sparsely dotted with Utah junipers and blue-green sage .. great area for an afternoon jaunt across high desert savannas.  20x20   oil on canvas    framed in carved gold wood      Sold Visit    Gallery 24 in Torrey  .. Capitol Reef area And a couple of early versions and a blurry closeup of the ancient tree ..
Read more

'Chamisa' .. won TWO awards :)

-
Image
Just got back from camping near Escalante - Utah while participating in their Plein-air Competition for the week.  I wasn't having much luck painting rocky landscapes .. so I thought I would try my hand at the lush rabbitbrush lining the roads .. a subject that I had only attempted once before.  Tricky to get the weight of the flowers just right .. a fun challenge. To my surprise .. this small oil won two awards .. the Award of Merit [one step below Best of Show] .. and the Artist's Choice .. an award which I will certainly treasure.  It sold before I could take a better photo .. but this image gives you an idea of the painting in it's rustic frame. Right now I am re-supplying and packing up to head out to Moab .. another big Plein-air Competition .. hope I can find a decent camping spot during their busiest time of year .. will report back in a couple weeks. 8x10    oil on canvas panel    SOLD ..  and another photo .. ...
Read more