Here is the
sketch. It may be a bit hard to see, but
if you compare it to the photograph (which I’ll post again) you will be able to
tell how I stretched the scene to work on the canvas. Note that I did not put in the clouds; they
were not necessary. The trees are merely
squiggles serving as place holders, but important shapes like the mountains are
specific. Those are known quantities and
therefore must be correct. The big egg
shape on the mountain on the left indicates where the rocky outcropping will be
– more or less. You may also be able to
see my notes (my mutterings – “Okay, lump head, this is the lake not a field! And this is a field not a stand of trees so pay attention.”)
Two things will be
altered from the sketch to the canvas.
First, the entire sketch will be moved up one inch. That will give more space between the bottom
of the canvas and the pond, and conversely, less at the top edge – creates more
balance that way. Second, I drew that
house three times, and it is still too big.
In the photograph one can hardly see it among the trees. The entire purpose for leaving it in the
painting is to serve as a size reference; the scene is huge! The first time I drew the house, I was
focused on understanding the architecture.
Note the unusual roof line, the difference in window sizes, and the
shallow draft of the porch roof. Well,
once I understood all of that, I should have been able to get the house’s
relative size correct, but it still needs attention.
Everything else
seems to be all right, but I’m sure that things will continue to crop up. But not the silo.
