Untitled9 x 12 soft pastels on Kitty Wallis Professional White
by Miki Willa
I am feeling better today, and I think it shows in this painting. Today, Michael took us to a wonderful place between Doe Mountain and Bear Mountain. Everywhere you looked was something wonderful to paint. There were mesas, grasses, junipers, fluffy clouds, strange plants, and distant mountains. I decided to try one of the red rock formations, just to see if I could do it. Michael makes it look so easy.
We started the day with critiques of yesterday's paintings. That was a very valuable experience. I think it was especially good because I was away from the painting for a day and could look at it with fresh eyes during the critique. After the critique session, Michael did a quick demonstration of how he works through the composition of a small painting. He gets so much out of a few strokes. I tend to make things a bit busy sometimes. That is evident in my painting from today.
I chose this scene because I liked the contrast of the red rocks with the blue sky and the clouds. I was worried about not having the right colors for the southwest, but I feel pretty comfortable with the palette I chose for this painting. I am glad I purchased more dark purples because they were perfect for the shadows. I am pretty happy with the rock formations. I think I can achieve a better effect next time by not being so fussy. I just had to feel my way around this time. I am not happy about the lack of depth from the foreground to the rock formations. It is really much further then it looks. I think I was working so hard at getting in the great yellow grasses, I sacrificed the depth of field. Fortunately, we are going back to this place to paint another day. All in all, I am pleased with the direction I am heading. Now, if I can only come up with a non-cheesy title.
(I had to change the location to give a more accurate description of where we were.)
1 comment:
Miki
I like the style you have created in the rocks formations. It is presents an air of excellence with the lovely sky you have painted. I agree that foreground could be approached with some detail and darkening. It would might add some aerial perspective. You could use a design that leads thte viewer eye to the formation with color and shapes. I painted this scene with a similar field in front of me which reminded of cove of meadow grasses which the wind had shape with its dominance. I hope you can find the time in the studio to work on some of the Sedona paintings because you have capture so much of the info already.
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