Yachting at Flinders

Oil on canvas paper 37x24cm. I did this piece in my studio after a plein air trip where I did tonal studies and a quick colour piece. To be honest the red yacht is bothering me and I am thinking about touching it with green to add a tonal element to it. It just seems too flat at the moment.

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Albums: Venturing into oil paint

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Comment by Shelly Beamish on January 8, 2012 at 0:42: Hi Jeni, you are right, there is something wrong with this red sail. I have posted an update version which situates the boat better by billowing the sail and changing the angle of the reflection. I have been working on a similar very large piece and have removed all of the boats and it has become another place altogether! Thanks for your feedback :)

Comment by Jeni Smith on January 8, 2012 at 0:25: Hi Shelly- I am no expert but to my eyes the red sail is in the wrong place or way too strong as it draws my eye away from where the lovely interesting swirling shoreline tries to take them. It then becomes a struggle to enjoy the whole image ( which I did by putting my finger over the red sail LOL )

Good luck with it .

Comment by Kathy Wilson on January 2, 2012 at 10:59: Your brush strokes are exciting! I just love the texture and colors especially on the right hand side, bold in front and leading to a fantastic background landscape that leaves so much the imagination. Ann Turner is my friend/mentor and always has good advice.

Comment by Shelly Beamish on January 2, 2012 at 10:46: Hi Ann, Thanks for your feedback. It is always helpful to have another set of eyes see something that you have been staring at for too long and I appreciate you taking the time to help me work my way through my "little red boat" issue. I am excited about the learning process involved with this painting!

Comment by Ann Turner on January 2, 2012 at 7:30: Hi Shelly, Your painting is full of movement and energy with the strong placement of red a green. These colors tend to fight each other so this choice adds to the feeling of motion in your painting. Now for the problem of the little red boat. It is static while the water swirls around it. Change the sail from a flat triangle to a billowy form that shows movement that reflects the rest of the energy in your painting . Add some highlights to the boat which will also help. Happy painting !

Comment by Shelly Beamish on January 2, 2012 at 1:40: I think the other issue is that the water that the lone red yacht sits on is tonally incorrect. It should have a mid tone that balances with the mid tones to the far right of the boat i (in the land). And, deeper water that is closer should be that bit darker. So what is happening is that the boat pulls the image closer while the water pushes the image further away. This creates an inconsistency which unsettles the image, draws the eye and makes me say "something's just not right". Yes, it's true, I need to talk out loud to sort some things out!!! Thanks for not minding :)