Down to the beach

A steep staircase down to the beach on a lovely, sunny day - well worth the effort, though the climb back up was not so easy! This part of the walk was through a short tunnel, which made a natural shady frame for the view.

9 members like this

View Full Size

Tags:

Add a Comment

You need to be a member of The Complete Artist to add comments!

Join The Complete Artist

Comment by Jessica Futerman on April 5, 2014 at 19:41: Thanks a lot, Linda and Silvana - yes - SO much to learn & that keeps it interesting! Merci beaucoup, Brahim!

Comment by Silvana M Albano on April 5, 2014 at 14:41: Jessica, I find it beautiful! and still so many things to learn!!!!!

Comment by Brahim Inaflas on April 5, 2014 at 12:40: c'est beau

Comment by Linda McNeill on April 5, 2014 at 10:20: Great composition, Jessica.

Comment by Jessica Futerman on April 5, 2014 at 8:39: Thank you very much, Michael, Olivia & Pauline for your comments! I really appreciate constructive criticism - it's the best way to learn and it's generous of you to take the time to give it! When I painted this scene, I kept exactly to the values in the photo - it was a complicated, winding tunnel & the light was very strong & bright on one side of the wall as we came out - but it would be a better painting, had I changed it in the way you both suggest, upping the contrasts. I am working on another painting with an archway & will try my best to fearlessly punch up those contrasts!!

Comment by Pauline Le Merle on April 5, 2014 at 8:24: Really lovely Jessica, you can definitely feel the heat. Love to be there soaking up the sun..............Michael is right re strong contrasts...when we paint we have to give the painting what it needs to convey a beautiful subject or a feeling....essentially that's what we are all doing, taking a scene which we have seen or photographed and then trying to convey, with our palette, that emotion that we first felt when we saw it.....Everything i see through your arch/tunnel is lovely and its telling me a story...The arch wall facing us is insignificant and should be treated in a subordinate fashion. eg by making the face of the tunnel darker and just coming in with a tiny bit of light which will indicate to the viewer that it is a wall would i think give so much more interest and lead us in to your beautiful view more gently.

Comment by Olivia O'Carra on April 5, 2014 at 7:54: I love the composition and the feeling of a hot day.

Comment by Michael J. Severin on April 5, 2014 at 6:42: Wonderful "tunnel" composition with an "S" influence!! The angular walkway wall is a fine counterpoint to all of your curvilinear lines and movements. My only wish is that you would not be so afraid to really punch up your dark to light contrasts. Also, when composing a scene with strong contrasts, think ..latter your darks and lights ...dark against light, against dark, against light, etc, etc. One more thing ..(and I know I am being an overbearing pest), but the inside of your tunnel would show better form if you use vertical strokes that mimic the curved form of the tunnel. The light on your beach should be your lightest light, therefore, the small amount of light coming into the tunnel is way to bright ....suggest you make that your DARKEST LIGHT ..the way to do that would be to paint the tunnel a warm dark ..but a little warmer on the right side. Into the wet, dark paint, paint in a soft diffused light ..keeping the value much lower then that outside wall, but lighter then the dark of the tunnel. Please excuse my constant picking, but this is a very nice painting ..just giving a few quick ideas.

Comment by Jessica Futerman on April 5, 2014 at 2:18: Thank you so much, Diane, Laura, Colleen & Cristina for your lovely comments - it is so encouraging!