Lake view in Italy

[Michael Lang]

This is a view of the beautiful and serene lake Iseo in northern Italy that I painted en plein air. It's in oil on 16x12in, 40x30cm canvas. Comments and critiques welcome.

Another view, with dramatic clouds and sun. Also in oil 16x12in, 40x30cm canvas. Comments and critiques welcome.

[Silvana M Albano]

Hello Michael! There is a place where you can post your paintings and everybody will see them. At the right, you 'll see the title Photos, and below the photos which are sliding through, 'Add Photos' can be read. You can click on that , and post the photo. Everybody has an easyaccess to that, and will be able to critique and comment! 

By the way, I love your painting! Is it oils? I wold also like to click on 'like', but this site has not the option....!

[Michael Lang]

Thanks for the tip and for your kind words, Silvana. Yes, it's in oils.

Michael

www.michaeljuleslang.blogspot.co.uk

[Silvana M Albano]

Great Blog Michael!

This site is wonderful! People here are very friendly!

[Michael Lang]

Many thanks, Silvana. 

I've noticed that you're from BsAs. I've been there a few times from London, where I live, as I'm a very keen tango dancer.

[Michael Lang]

Thanks for your kind words, Ian. I live in London and this was just a holiday in Italy. I painted from the terrace of the hotel room, which overlooked the lake.in two weeks, I completed 5 paintings, painting for about 2-3 hours each day.

[Marie Francis]

Love your brush work Michael!  Also like the way you use light to show distance etc.

[Michael Lang]

Thank you so much, Marie.

[Reid Barton]

Hi Michael. I opened this forum and sat back in my chair when I first saw your (top) painting. While I know it's easy to say all the nice things about people's work, would you mind something from the opposite side of "nice." But before I do, let me qualify myself. In fact, I don't know what I'm really talking about re: painting because I am so very new to it. Having said that (for what it's worth, probably not a great start for me) I sat back in my chair because I really, really liked the paintings especially the top one. Well, I liked elements of the second one too - the perspective is very "accurate".  My critique comes from being a photographer and both disciplines share commonalities. Of course, this is all subjective opinion but I would like to have seen the bg a pushed a bit farther back by the use of atmosphere, ie soft (blurry). Things is in the distance are farther our of focus to the eye and that create depth in the image. In a landscape photo, the bg is in sharp focus but that, to the camera. Colors and edges soften as they distance themselves from the viewer. Perhaps a softening of the far mountains edges and some softer tones would help to achieve that effect. I hope I'm not out of line. What I'd give to paint like you do. Good on ya!

[Michael Lang]

First of all, thank you, Reid, for taking the time to critique. I am delighted that you have done so as that is what I'm after.

I agree with your main point about the need to show atmospheric perspective. In both paintings, I tried to do this by making the background lighter, less saturated, moving to blues and violets and with some lost edges. I think that I could have pushed it more, for instance in the first painting, the edge of the far slope on the right has some too stong violet lines.

 Again, thank you for writing all that, and good luck with your painting.