Woodland Walk, 16″ x 12″ Uart 400

Hard pastel and alcohol underpainting

Here is the second painting that I just completed today.  This is my annual spring ode to greens!  This was from a walk in the woods at Prime Hook and I loved the spot the minute I took the picture. But it was ALL green!  I chose to do this one smaller, on a mounted 16″ x 12″ piece of UART 400.  And I did an underpainting with hard pastel and alcohol.  I used violets and a variety of oranges for the underpainting, with a pink sky.  My painting experience was a much happier one, I have to admit!

What I loved about the scene was the way the dirt path wound up into the woods with a lovely bend and a slight uphill tilt and the shapes of sky coming through the trees.  I also liked the variations in value at the top of the trees to the left.  I made a large change in the composition, however. In the photo, the entire right side was covered in leaves, probably from a large branch of a tree (you can kind of see this in the underpainting).  There was some shadow, but no trunk of tree.  I started out with a larger trunk and many leaves above it (kind of a big lollypop).  Neither Sunny nor I liked it!  So I brushed it off and put in the background leaves and grasses, then put in a more spindly tree with a few large leaves and some vines.  I was much happier with this.

For the greens, I used a range of very blue greens, very warm brownish greens, and a lot of “true” green. I used Sennelier, Ludwigs, Unisons, Giraults, and Blue Earth.  Probably some Schmincke as well.  I needed them all!

I loved my painting experience because I really took my time and used a sensitive approach to adding the color.  I particularly loved painting the upper left greenery and the path.  In the path I used a combination of Blue Earth blue violets and grayed reds (i.e., browns).  By using them very lightly I could create interesting layers of color to approximate the look of the hard, damp earth.  I really used an observed color approach on this one.

Doing these two paintings one day after another proved to me how important underpaintings are to the success of my paintings and, maybe more importantly, to the enjoyment I have in doing the painting.  Once I have a lovely rich underpainting, as I created with this one, I have the value shapes and composition laid in.  Then I can work as slowly as i want applying the pastel on top.  I’ll be showing both paintings to a critique group on Tues. and may make a few changes, but I was anxious to get something out since it’s been so long.  Hope you are all happily painting and staying dry!