Old Sentinel on the Fence Line (try 2)

16"X12" Oil on Linen Panel This is my second attempt at this image. I have used another notan for this one and I tried to work looser with Tibor Nagy's paintings in mind and not to get too caught up with the photo image. I'm not sure it's an improvement.

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Comment by Thomas J Hoy on September 18, 2011 at 2:37: I think it is an improvement. I like this one better.

Comment by Denise Maxwell on September 12, 2011 at 9:49: Hello Sandra,

Thanks for your earlier comment, 'about the tree on the left leading your eye out of the picture plane' I don't mind your suggestions and I have been contemplating, this is why I didn't thank you earlier. I've struggled with that tree on the left on each of my 3 attempts to paint this challenge. I tried a few things right in that area of my painting to avoid this problem you have mentioned.

Richard had a list of things he had in front of him when he painted one of his recent posts. I have been doing the same recently when starting a painting. On this particular second attempt I used these ones myself: light/dark, saturation, warm/cool, brushwork, texture, diagonals/rectangles, primary focus on the rebatement. Having used all of these to put your eye right in this left hand area my plan is to make that patch of sun on that left hand tree the very element to lead the eye back in. It doesn't need as much saturation but can be brighten it up more. I haven't done this yet but will have a window of opportunity tomorrow.

Thanks again for your suggestion, I think this will really help over all, good critique! That is the kind of thing I was hoping for here from this group.

Comment by Denise Maxwell on September 12, 2011 at 8:57: Thanks Iwan, I appreciate your comment. I've been frustrated with this exercise as I've not been getting the results that I was hoping for, although I do like the paintings. Perhaps I won't next week though and this is what happens to me, I seem to like a painting right after I paint it and then I can't see what is really wrong with it for some time later. I'm realizing this is my process which is a good thing to know.

Comment by Denise Maxwell on September 12, 2011 at 8:37: Thanks Mary I appreciate your comments. I'm trying to work through my thinking on each of these paintings and not just follow the photograph but try and see the painting before I start it. This seems to be very difficult thing for me to do and the results are very different from my original plan. So many things to remember and to do while painting and they all just seem to disappear out of my head as I'm putting paint to canvas but I'm finding this to be a very good exercise.

Comment by Mary Paloma Diesel on September 12, 2011 at 2:03: Can't really say I like one better than the other. Both are well balanced in terms of color - this one more contrast, but I really like the colors in the shadows in #1, also. Nice fence work - I struggled with how much to put there.

Comment by Sandra kelly on September 9, 2011 at 11:06: Like the colours used and your house in background . Hope you dont mind a suggestion the tree on the left tends to take my eye out of the painting for it is the darkest part and lightest part of the painting ( maybe a branch to lead your eye back in .