Early stage
Blue House on the Marsh, 11 x 14, Pastelbord
- Further completion
Here is an early stage and the completed picture for one of two paintings I did today! They are based on the color studies I posted earlier. The first issue was the size. I tried out a 16 x 20, but decided there would be way too much tree! So I used an 11 x 14. The board I had available was a toned brown board. So I began with charcoal and a small amount of light Girault to lay in the basic shapes. I worked down, primarily with Girauls (except for Schmincke in the sky). I really enjoyed adding the little houses to this picture, which didn’t fit in the 7 x 5 study. I also decided to tone down the colors and not use such dark and bright colors. Decided also to use the grayed blue of the house and added grayed blue to the snow in the foreground and other places to add balance. This is a quiet picture, but I’m happy with it. The reeds are all Unisons from their brown earth series.
I love the gentle effect you achieve on the grasses and reeds. I do hope that some day you’ll be able to show me a bit on how to keep them loose and soft. The snow below is so natural. l love these wintery scenes. I’ve always thought snow was the hardest season to paint.
Thanks Sunny. It’s not easy doing this kind of grassy stuff. But it’s always best to keep the detail down a bit with broader strokes and perhaps a little smudging in places. The type of pastel used also helps. I chose the Unisons because of their color and their relative hardness among the other “soft” pastels. I work from dark to light laying one color over another, then go back and add little pieces of dark in between.