Cape Cod Cottages

Started to adjust the sky, bringing in more yellow,want to address the foreground fence, and make the posts more irregular.

The next day, I worked on unifying the left, connecting more of my darks, pumping up the volume of that yellow sky. Softened window by adding soft glaze, the shape suggesting curtains. The background "alien color" which doesn't appear anywhere else, makes a bigger impact for that reason. It's finished.

Progress

This is the end of the 3rd session. I put in alot of sky and worked on the background, not sure at all that I want a blue sky. I want to depict early morning, and yes, the day did have a blue sky. but I am considering other possibilities. Something I would not consider if I was painting this scene plein air. Which gives me a terrifying freedom.

And so it goes..

This is the second day in the studio where I began to use color to establish values. I am keeping the paint thin at this point, so I can easily make changes. I am spending time checking the drawing, and making sure the dominant shapes are in the right place to make my composition work. Things that look defined, like the lattice work, will become vague, and things vague, like the background, will become more defined.

A Start

I thought I would show the process I go through when making a larger painting. The steps, such as they are. This 30x30 canvas was first toned with Transparent Red Oxide, which I applied with a big brush, letting the paint drip, not fussing or trying to be too neat. My plan will be to let some of this peek through the final painting. The next day in the studio I worked with the same paint, combining it with Ultramarine Blue to establish some of the important darks to make this composition work. The shadow off the central cottage is just the wrong shape altogether, but I am done for this session. I always like to leave a painting knowing where I will go the next time I am in the studio, and I'm going right to that shadow!