The original version of this painting painted in Fall/Winter 2010
I am framing up some small ones with the new little frames I made. As I was doing this I saw this painting which I painted last Fall or Winter. I always liked this one but I wanted to try adding some flowers in the foreground to add some interest to the dry Summer grasses. When I got to the easel that tree to the left was competing with my right side tree. I decided to lighten and make the shape slightly smaller. Eventually, I ended up readjusting the base of the eucalyptus tree too....reworking a painting, even a small painting, can lead you into more work than you might think. Having two shapes with close sizes and close lights and darks was a compositional error on my part and I'm glad I caught it.
Reworking is strange too. I see things that I like in both versions. Some of it though is the camera. My original Nikon 5200 took the first pic and the second was taken with a Nikon L11. Both Coolpix models but the L11 is newer, has more megapixel capacity but the white balance and lens cannot even come close to the older 5200. Anyway...it was fun to make the adjustments to this painting...taught me some lessons and reminded me of how easy it is to get sloppy and forget some things.
8 comments:
That's an amazing difference. Trees, you do trees so well. Mine still either look like blobs or shrubs stuck to a stick. Sheesh. Mostly they get overworked until they look like mud. Practice, that's they way to Carnegie Hall, right? Well, 6 of my still lifes are now in two local gallery shows, that makes me feel better. Now I shall study your trees and try to learn!
I remember liking the original but have to say that you are correct about the changes that you decided upon.
I find it instructive to go back to my stuff after a suitable interlude and look with a fresh eye. You've just reminded me that I've some pieces that could do with a rethink.
Hi Dianne - Yep, too much work on a tree and it starts to go bad...time to get out the knife and scrape all of that work off and start over, haha. Been there, done that. I paint my darks first, then the mids and finally the highlights....and I'm still learning to paint them. Thanks!
Hi Mick - I liked that euc tree and the grasses in the original but I'm trying to add more color to my paintings and thin the trees some....so this was a good one to work on some of that. Thanks.
ron,
i like the fact that the background tree in the reworked edition "sets back in space" a bit more, thus competing less with the fg tree. i also like the way you reworked the foreground tree as it seems to come forward with the added detail.
Hi William,
Yep, these were just compositional errors I didn't catch at the time.. When reviewing the painting they jumped right out at me so it was nice to go back in and correct the mistakes. I think it's a better painting now. Thanks William,
Ron
Such a great article which reworking is strange too. It see things that It like in both versions. Some of it though is the camera. My original Nikon 5200 took the first pic and the second was taken with a Nikon L11.Thanks for sharing this article
Thanks for the comments Allison, much appreciated.
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