No, that doesn't mean Boat House three quarters; it means Boathouse days 3 and 4 together. But before I explain the today's title, how was your Thanksgiving? Did you have a wonderful time with your family? We did. Even though we are a very small family, it was good to be together. The feast was delicious (D makes almost all the "sides" - when did we start calling them that?), and I decided to set a proper table (you know, linens, silver, crystal, etc.) so it looked like Thanksgiving. It surprised me how much I liked that. Anyway, even though some of us may have eaten more than we had intended, the joy of being with loved ones made that one day's indulgence worth it. I do hope your weekend was memorable, too.
Now, it occurred to me as I came upstairs to write this entry, that I didn't show you or talk about my progress on the Boathouse painting last week. I did go to class last Tuesday, and I found myself itching to paint again ever since. That desire started Friday, but we still had a guest so that had to be delayed until Saturday. Then on Saturday, I remembered that I also had to work on binding the first of the "greats" (great nieces and nephew) quilts so I did that instead yesterday and part of today. Once the first one had its binding completed, I headed for my paints forgetting to take a picture of Tuesday's work before starting again.
What you see below is the result of two days of painting.
Sorry about the egg yolk sun peering over a wobbly horizon, but that will be rectified later. I'm not going to make any more negative observations today (and boy, could I!) or positive ones, either (yes, I could make a few). I'm wondering if you are thinking the same things I am. So even though this is still rather early in the development of this painting, what are your reactions? What do you like - if anything? What do you think needs work? It may help you to go back a few weeks to see what I've said about the subject as well as compare the earlier "painting drafts" with this one.
One thing I will say, and it's about the writing of the blog rather than this painting, it surprises me how little I now mind sharing work that is still in its infancy. When I started blogging, every time I posted unfinished creations I thought I would sink under the desk to hide my head in embarrassment. The work was so amateur, so raw, so un-tutored. It still is (though I do see some progress) but I no longer mind putting myself "out there" for you to see. Now I want your honest comments, and I realize that by publishing what I am doing, I see the work in a new light, also. It distances me from it so I can view it - almost - as a stranger's work. And I've gotten accustomed to doing it. Writing about what I am thinking and trying to do, writing about my frustrations, failures, and triumphs, has developed my ability to think about the processes behind the scenes which helps me grow.
"That," as Martha Stewart would say, "is a good thing."
Thanksgiving was great except for Garfield's injury. I appreciate you showing your unfinished work. I've never painted and can't draw a straight line without a ruler - so it's nice to see the steps that go into a completed work of art. It's like a quilt - you have to build blocks one at a time - then put them together row by row - and then get the rows together - borders on - actually quilted - binding place and then you can see the quilt. It takes a lot of steps and looks to be the same in painting - each step adds to the overall project.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I love your sun. Seems to be either rising or setting. I'd be tempted to put a small sailboat way in the back of the lake. Keep going. It's looking quite wonderful to me!
I love the rocks in the lake and bordering the land. They have believable depth and texture and interesting color. They also sit at the water's edge very naturally. Since I have real short comings in rendering buildings with the correct perspective, I am hesitant to express my opinion, but here goes for what it's worth. I would guess that your eye level is at mid to upper-mid point of the boat house. If that is the case, wouldn't the placement of the far end of the roof be below the front facing roof? Your angle on the front of the building is convincing to me, but not the roof. I shall wait to be proven wrong.
ReplyDeleteThe sun's placement, I think, should affect the cast shadows of the major rock form. To my eye your shadow -- and that of the boat house -- would make sense if the light source was coming from directly behind the objects; hence the rock shadow should be elongated and be in line with the sun and rock. The shadow would be stretched since the sun itself is very low on the horizon. It would also be deformed to some extent since it would include portions of the rock which are not visible to the viewer.
ReplyDeleteOf course it is true that the overhead light itself is diffused and affecting the cast shadows. But, to repeat, the sun sitting on the horizon will dominate (I think). Lastly, if that is a sun, it will have important color effects as well on the rocks and structures. Fun, isn't it? Davis