Spring Hillside, 16 x 20, Pastelbord
I just went back to Monday’s picture and finished it off with a number of small changes. First, I added more color to the fence: some rich browns, slate blue, and a light warm color for the tops of the slats. I added spots of dark red violet under the bushes along the fence in front of the house and light yellow to the sky in between the house and tree. A little majenta was added to the bugle in front and also brought into the greens below the mustard and in front of the fence. It gives them a richer color. The windows on left and right were straightened a bit. These were all small changes but I’m now much happier with the painting. While my original thought was for the locust tree to be the center of interest, it really is the house. Once you add a building, animal, or person to a painting, it’s almost impossible for it not to be the center of interest. But that’s OK because it’s always been the house that has drawn me to the scene. The locust tree is a nice focal point on the way up the hill to the house. I’ve decided to call it Spring Hillside as it is about the abundance of life and the variety of greens at this time of year. A happy picture!
I know that house. Your painting really improves it. I think I’ll paint it someday too.
Nice to hear from you Penny. Hope things are going OK for you. Beautiful today, finally!
Hello Jean,
I thoroughly enjoyed reading and viewing your progression for the painting, Spring Hillside. I especially liked the touch of the bugle plants nestled in between the vivid green grass. Your use of color is wonderful. I get caught up with detail and often forget that the most essential component in a painting is the color. So, now I’m looking at things with “fresh” eyes. Thank you
Thanks so much Marie. One of the things that really worked well in this painting was having the warm oranges and reds of the underpainting under the grass, then placing various greens on top. It was really quite simple, but by leaving a little of the undercolor showing and focusing on where to use brighter or cooler colors, I was able to vary the grassy areas. Without the bugle, the large foreground would have been boring.