This is an 8x16" panel. I repainted the sky five times. Its dull, pale, grey blue wasn't doing anything for the painting so I kept scraping it off and trying different things. This sky represents the color of the setting sun, which was in the sky opposite to this view. It was a perfect evening for plein air. The lone figure in this landscape is Tom, coming back to his car from the hillside he was painting on. I snapped a quick reference photo at the end of the evening and noticed him carrying his gear. Not many people remained at the park after the sunset. The lighting was odd because of the wildfires 2000 miles away. The sun was unobscured by clouds but there were hardly any shadows. I really boosted the color in this one.
Wow - Jan, you got a beautiful painting out of rather subdued lighting. I agree about the sky - it was better looking west. When I got my milkweed painting indoors it looked way better than it did outdoors so I'll try to get in finished and posted. Pastels always look very much different indoors than they do in outdoor light. Great to see you and I could tell that was Tom in the painting - he looked just like that coming back to the parking lot.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, that looks just like me. Backpack and all. I saw your painting as you were working on it at the park, and agree what you've done since helps a lot. The orangey sky, grass, and one tree really work well together in setting up everything else. Beautiful!
ReplyDeleteReally nice colors in the sky, trees and grasses. I didn't notice the figure until you mentioned it. Nice job Jan.
ReplyDeletePatricia, Tom, Trisha! Thanks so much for the kind comments! The light that evening was a real challenge. So subdued. I agree, I really captured Tom. lol. I look forward to seeing your pastel Pat! I ran into Joan on the way out and she showed me photos of the chain of ponds you can see from that hill. I'm interested in going back to paint them. It should start getting a bit more colorful soon.
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