Winter at Bosque del Apache 6 x 6

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Comment by Candi Hogan on February 7, 2016 at 8:21

Thanks Michael, was thinking about giving this a go again, will do and use your suggestions!  

Comment by Michael J. Severin on February 7, 2016 at 8:18

Nice job Candi.  I like the unifying effect of your dominant warms with the interplay of cools ..very nice.  I would like to see a little more attention paid to form, rhythm, and shape distinction.  Also, that snow patch shape could have been better utilized as a lead in instead of going horizontally across the picture plane.  We are forced to "jump" over those high grasses .. so if you made that snow shape into a lead in shape ..that would be great.  Candi, it is difficult to discern where your light source is coming from.  From the gradation of your sky ..good! ...it looks like it is coming from the left?  Now, I realize we are looking at the left side of a tree which the trunk is outside of the picture plane ..BUT ... your painting needs a vertical AND a focal point.  If you could find a way to introduce a dark tree trunk (vertical) right at the edge of the snow patch ..and then punch up the light on the snow patch next to the dark tree trunk ..you would have a focal point ... You would have the lightest light (a blast of light on the snow), the darkest dark (tree trunk), the most saturated color (a stronger orange where the sunlight would be blasting), the sharpest edge (the tree trunk).  Adding that dark vertical and splash of light, would also push everything behind it much further back into space.  Right now, there is no spacial divisions of the planes ...okay, easy fixes!!!