"Morning Rocks on the Coast"
12" x 16" Oil on Canvas covered MDF panel
I've been enjoying painting coastal scenes lately. I really like painting the water but painting bluffs and rocks along the shore is such a challenge, a fun challenge. I don't know what it is about rocks but at times they seem to be really hard for me but other times they fall together almost on their own. I'm learning that with rocks "less is more...always". Seems the less finessing of brushwork makes for better rocks. A little knife, some slapping paint in with the side of the brush and bang! Rocks. Whenever I labor over them to make them look "right" they never do. Maybe I'm just expecting too much working like that. When I work the faster slam-bang method I'm happier with my results.
The one thing I did do on these rocks were to play with edge variation...keeping some edges loose and painterly and other edges sharper....some with knife and some with the softer brush edges. I'm happy as a clam with all of that. Fun stuff!
A detail showing some edgework....
6 comments:
Always lovely, Ron!!
Thanks a lot Marian, I appreciate it. Water scenes are really becoming a lot of fun.
I love how much you enjoy what you do. Nothing better than having fun! Nice job on the rocks, and I really love the flow of the water around them. These solid objects with movement around, it's very meditative. :)
Thanks Christine for the comments. Yeah, the rocks are the solid things in life as everything else moves about them...tree are like that too. I have to admit, when this painting started to look like it was supposed to look like things got really good as it went along. The early part of any painting always seems to be the part where "self-doubt" is going to rear it's ugly head, haha. Some painter ought to right an instruction book about just that.
I think you've hit on it! These rocks and the surf are wonderful, I had to look close to make sure it was a painting.
I'll try your notes, I must over work rocks and couldn't figure out why they kept looking softer and softer.
Hi Dianne,
Overworking rocks when using a brush tends to soften them. I've found what works for me is putting down the darks, then brushing in your mid values....paint thin here. Then let it set up while working on the rest of the painting. Go back and use a knife to add your highlights and cracks. Drag a loaded knife flat sided across the rocks for texture and along your edges where you want that lost and found or rough edge. Use a brush to soften parts that need it.
Try to not overwork them...keep them fresh looking by minimal knife and brush work. Good luck!
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