Workshop33; Davis Street, Culpeper, VA

Davis Street, o/c 11x14
The downtown section of a nearby small town is undergoing a revitalization. I was attracted to the colors on the building and wanted to give myself an exercise in mixing colors. (I quickly found myself saying, 'WHATEVER WERE YOU THINKING, JENKINS?!" Anyway, I fee the "Back 40' needs something, but what? Another car? People? Ditto for the front lower right quadrant. I darkened it and added some abstract paint strokes for interest and to move the eye back towards the buildings, but don't feel it's enough. What do you all think? I'd be interested to hear your comments!

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Comment by Betsy Jenkins on June 24, 2014 at 15:21: Thanks, Ann! I will wait for it to dry a little and check the angle of the back rise. I have been looking at it and I think so, too. I seem to recall that I could see a little more sidewalk there. But it was quite a struggle trying to keep straight lines with a brush liaded with paint. I put a piece of tape on a nearby pole to use as a one-point perspective point to try to draw the lines. I tried to gray down the far buildings (Stop laughing! I really did.) Do you think they should come down in chroma a bit more? I will have another pass at the sky. Great suggestions. Thanks again for your time and help!

Comment by Ann Turner on June 24, 2014 at 15:07: Great use of color in the first and middle buildings. I like the primary colors you used for the cars. The street seems to rise a little fast infront of the far buildings. I think the sky could be more neutral so the buildings that are the star of the show are the main center of interest. I don't do street scenes so this is just a guess at what will help. Hopefully Stu, who is an expert on street scenes will see this and give you more concrete help. I do love the way that you pushed your color to make a happy Main Street USA painting

Comment by Betsy Jenkins on June 24, 2014 at 13:42: Here's a shot of what it look like down there. I stood across the street for most of this painting. Good way to meet people and pass out cards--especially in a small town where everyone is nosy! ;-) You can see I took some liberties with the colors of the three white buildings in the middle on the left.