Painting without Fear

Normally I don't fiddle with my plein air work in the studio afterwards, but in this case I'd done such an awful job of the cow that I decided to remedy it in the studio that same night while the paint was still wet. That's the second image you can see there - much better cow, no? The next day (yesterday) I showed the painting to my painting buddy John Crump and he challenged me to put more 'oomph' into it. He asked me if I was scared when I was painting. "Yes" I replied, "I am scared when I'm painting!". Not all the time, but yes I'm often afraid to make the tough choices in a painting. I thought how odd that is, and what could I achieve if I set forth to paint without fear? So I fiddled with the painting in photoshop to come up with an idea that had stronger contrast and more vibrant colour. Happier with the design I set to work last night to create the studio painting you see below, without fear. Finally I produced a painting which is as I said to Helen last night, 'a painting I'd see in a gallery and wish I'd painted it'.

Forgive my gushing, and please put it down to the artists temporary infatuation with his latest painting. Tomorrow I'll want to do something better. That's the artist's lot.

"Into Paradise" 17x13.5" Oil on Canvas

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Comment by Steinunn Einarsdottir on June 29, 2014 at 9:04: Well said!

Comment by Mary Jo Ellis on June 29, 2014 at 6:38: Painting without FEAR. I think there is a book with that title. I admit it is a bit comforting to know that somebody at your skill level still gets cold "fingers" when painting. Why do we expect that every painting we produce must be a masterpiece? It doesn't seem to work that way. If I learn from my mistakes and can avoid doing them again, I am happy! Progress, not perfection.

Comment by Xiao Li on June 12, 2014 at 0:41: Hi Richard. It is always very impressive to see you using Photoshop to improve a painting. I have Photoshop but I don't know how to use it as the way you used it, such as how to make an area lighter or darker and how to change the color in the whole area etc. Could you do a demo Photoshop skill video to show the steps when you have the time? It will be very useful to a lot of people. It is always better to play on the screen to see if an idea works or not before moving on to the canvas to improve it or ruin it.

Comment by George on June 1, 2014 at 8:30: This is a painting which contains all necessary parts of a atmospheric and colour perspective.

Comment by Lori Ippolito on May 31, 2014 at 14:58: Love those greens and blues..it's wonderful!! Enjoy your happy place!!

Comment by Steinunn Einarsdottir on May 30, 2014 at 20:57: Wow, this is stunning Richard! Thank you for sharing.

Comment by Rodrigo Leal on May 30, 2014 at 12:10: This is beautifully done Richard. Another vibrant mix of colours and contrasts that i appreciate in your work. It is undoubtedly "Paradise"!.

Comment by Jessica Futerman on May 29, 2014 at 19:57: Just a stunning painting, Richard! Looks like you applied that paint freely & happily! Would love to be able to paint like that some day without fear :-) Really a masterpiece!

Comment by Sharon Repple on May 29, 2014 at 14:49: Thanks so much for talking about that "temporary infatuation with latest painting" sometimes I just love what I have created and as you say tomorrow I want to keep on getting better. Love the cow and the way the light strikes the side. This painting is a great illustration of your workshop gray to bright. The bright colors show no fear. Love it, wish I had painted it.