Workshop 33 - Day 7

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Comment by Birdie on July 3, 2014 at 11:36

Michael;

I guess I didn't say that my original goal with this was to capture the feeling of the photograph. I have an internationally successful photography career, and one of my goals with painting is to recreate some of my more successful photographs as paintings. It's less about using the photographs as photo references, and more about trying to get the feeling or mood of the image.

As I said, the two mediums don't translate well. So with this particular photograph, while it may be lacking as a photo reference, it's success is the feeling of vastness of the land and how small man is in comparison, along with the sense of isolation or loneliness. Those are the qualities I was trying (unsuccessfully) to convey. 

Thanks for your discussion! 

Comment by Michael J. Severin on July 3, 2014 at 5:53

Hi Roberta. You chose a very, very difficult photo reference to paint. ....with no shadows or any dark patterns to create form, flat light, a. sameness to everything, and no interesting shapes, you were faced with a most formidable task I think you did quite well on your second painting considering all these things. May I suggest you look for photo references that have good light and dark patterns. When you take photo refs, go out either early or late in the day.

Comment by Jon Main on July 3, 2014 at 4:37

Like you improved version a lot, Roberta - you've done well there!!!

Comment by Birdie on July 2, 2014 at 12:58

Thank you everyone for your comments. Thank you Michael for your critique. I still have difficulty painting from photographs, because the drama or emotion in a photograph doesn't work in a painting. Or at least I can't get there taking the photograph too literally, as I was trying in this one. My photo is quite light and hazy, but I failed to capture those qualities well.

Is this more what you had in mind? 

And this was what I was aiming for with the original - and have now completely abandoned! ;-)

Comment by Michael J. Severin on July 2, 2014 at 7:36

Hi Roberta.  Very energetic brushwork and use of thick paint.  I really like how you have spread you dominant warm tones throughout the painting ..especially into the sky and the sky tones into the land ..excellent.  There are a few problems with composition and value and I will discuss them now.  Your composition has only a middle ground ..no foreground and no background ..(we do not count the sky as a plane).  To correct this, I would suggest you darken the bottom of the painting somewhat and introduce some pattern of vegetation meandering to the tepee.  Gradate from a darker value in the front to a lighter value as you recede ..the same with the vegetation.  Your hill is the same value as the ground.  The hill is a slanted plane and will be darker in value then the ground.  You must push back those second hills by lowering them quite a lot ..or raise the first hill.  The first hill is too close to be a flat shape with no indication of form.  Looking at your teepee, the sun is from the right and very strong ..so, that hill must be receiving shadows that will help you indicate form.  Your compositions main 2 upright shapes are of the same size and meet in the middle ...if you lower the second hill and have it slant down behind the first hill, you will create another plane and alleviate the sameness of the two hills.  Although 1 is an odd number, it is best not to have 1 teepee ...another suggestion for the teepee would be to move it forward into the foreground plane .possible with some figures?   So, if the second hills were lowered and cooled (blue/violets), and the teepee brought forward so that it overlaps the top of the hill, then you will have succeeded in creating 3 planes of distance, creating spacial depth, and telling a story perhaps.  Your color, drawing, and edges  are good Roberta, but you must also think of value and creating interesting shapes.  You have the potential to create great shapes in the foreground, and in your hills ..I believe that if you did nothing but refine the hills into more interesting shapes, your painting would improve.

Comment by Olivia O'Carra on June 10, 2014 at 3:46

I echo Jessica and Hyun. Fab sky

Comment by Silvana M Albano on June 9, 2014 at 11:36

It' simple and it shows your passion!

Comment by Hyun(Jane) kim on June 9, 2014 at 8:00

I agree with Jessica. I love the texture of the sky too.
One little thing: I notice four similar shapes and sizes of clouds.( If you don't mind)

Comment by Jessica Futerman on June 9, 2014 at 6:18

Really gorgeous, Roberta - the texture & colour in the sky is wonderful!