Thursday, July 19, 2012

Foxen Canyon Afternoon


"Foxen Canyon Afternoon"
12"x16" Oil on Canvas

Did this painting based on a photo taken last winter overlooking Foxen Canyon. This area is just above the Firestone Winery and close to my favorite spot up there. The background hills always catch the late afternoon light really well and the grasses get it too. I like the place and enjoy just being around up there. It is taking me a while to get used to painting smaller again but I'm coming around slowly but surely, haha.
Here is a detail of the background area....Fun adding the metal fenceposts. I used the egde of the painting knife to add the wire very loosely. I like the shadowed color on the hillsides here.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

Beautiful Ron. I love the way you find lots of inspiration in this area. Your renditions get better and better.

Ron Guthrie said...

Thanks Mick. Afternoon light against these hillside grasses really makes them come alive. They get these wonderful mauve tones. If they have a lot of tall dried grasses they will have really nice creamy colors and then all of it changes as the light fades....really great to see it all in various stages over the year.

Marian Fortunati said...

You know I love the way you paint your grasses...
Well, heck... I love the way you paint everything...

Ron Guthrie said...

Hi Marian,
Thanks a lot for the comments. You're going to make my head not fit inside the studio! haha. Over the past few years I think it was smart for me to go after painting scenes with specific things in them that I wanted to better myself at....grasses, skies, rocks, shadows etc. I feel more confident painting these things now.

A little homework goes a long way. Each painting now is still a learning one with these things but the boost from really attacking them earlier has helped a lot. Thanks Marian!