Friday, April 10, 2009

Salado Creek - nfs



One thing I really loved about Jill's approach was she gave us full permission to do some really ugly paintings, even if they were all ugly. Not that I absolutely HATE this one, but there are some things wrong with it. The main tree ends right smack dab in the middle (vertically), and it may be a bit too far to the right, and the far bank could use ... something, I'm still not sure what. Another thing Jill talked about was the need to edit a scene, and when and where to do it. I am including a photo I took of the scene right after I painted this (below) to give you an idea of what I changed.



Tonight I am heading out to the Greenhouse Gallery in San Antonio to attend the awards banquet for the Salon International Exhibit. I seriously doubt I'll win anything, but I'm going with a friend and it should be fun! I won't be going to the reception tomorrow as it is my husband's birthday, but I'll see the show at the banquet tonight.

15 comments:

Mark Bridges said...

I think it looks refreshing and you still show you unique calligraphy. And i hope you show them up at the salon. :)

José Carrilho (Go Detail) said...

Hi,

$10000.
Ah! Forgot it's not for sale...tough luck :-)
The values and the chosen pallete turns this into a balanced and unified painting while the chosen chroma makes it pleasant to look at.

Have a nice Easter,

José

Sally Shisler said...

Hey Carol. I think it's beautiful! Not sure what you mean by the main tree ending in the middle vertically. Is there even a tree in the middle? (maybe I've been squinting too long today at my own paintings...). Your colors are always gorgeous and the way you simplify the forms just enough to hold the scene together, but not so much that it's ever mushy is acceptional. Smashing!

Sally Shisler said...

Nevermind - I got it now. Lazy, hazy eyeball syndrome... Still, the near middle thing doesn't bother me a bit. So much so that I couldn't even find it!

Jo Castillo said...

Rules about the middle are made to be broken, I didn't notice it either! Lovely painting. Plein air is so much fun, easy to get hooked. The fresh air always makes me tired and I really feel like I worked! Good luck at the Greenhouse, your painting looks lovely on their web page and blows up in high resolution. Wow! Hope I get to go see the show. Have fun!

Honor Woodard said...

I like the painting, and wonder if you will like it better after some time. It leads one around the bend, then back again to the trees on the other side of the river...The warm light is really nice.

Sand Hill Art said...

All those greens would have given me Painter's Block right from the onset. I think it's lovely. Makes me want to gaze into it further.

julie davis said...

I liked this one when you did it Carol, and I like it now. Couldn't find the middle tree either until I searched. I thoroughly enjoyed painting with you last week and learned so very much- -have a good Easter weekend.

David Morris said...

Splendid paintings - I admire the fine quality of the brushwork and the fresh colour.

David Morris said...

Splendid paintings - I admire the fine quality of the brushwork and the fresh clour

Phoebe Dylan said...

The composition works well. It is a lovely painting.

Mary Sheehan Winn said...

Um, Okay.
I scrolled down and looked at the painting and the photo and was just slammed by the great composition and color.
Never saw anything in the 'middle' to bother me. Just a great composition, not to mention the editing, the HARDEST part of outdoor work.
Honestly, you're too hard on yourself. You have a great eye.
I hope you win a big prize!
Let us know.

Mary Sheehan Winn said...

take Jose's offer ;)

Susan said...

This is lovely! When you said it needed something, I looked again and tried to figure out what you meant. The only thing I can see is that the eye enters from the bottom left and wants to exit at the top left without meandering down the creek. Maybe a tiny bit of that far-bank light green somewhere else on the far bank might do the trick? So instead of being presented with a wall of shrubbery we can see a bit of what is on the other side of the bank - it might help to lead the eye down the creek a bit.

Gary Keimig said...

Great job. I think you nailed it. Very painterly.