Scene from my studio, inspired by nature
The Start of a New Year
2016
It has taken me some time to get back into my routine this year. Our Christmas was very exciting in that our youngest son Haydn announced his engagement to Armelle, his beautiful French girlfriend. We had already been looking forward to our eldest sons wedding this year so to now realise that both sons will be getting married was a time when my heart felt fit to burst with happinness as a Mum. But then I had a few hiccups that stopped me painting. I had a lump under my right eye which yesterday was drained and I can now see fully. The pressure on my eye was so sore it held me back for a while but as you can see I am now happily back in my studio and painting again and I am so thrilled to be here and sharing again. I'm afraid I hate moaning so to admit something was wrong didn't come easily to me. I like my blog to be a happy place!
So this morning I woke to brilliant sunshine and headed to my studio. Here I loved seeing the view, as I always do. The sky had a pure white line of clouds through it and frost lay on the ground, melting in the morning sun as it warmed. I grabbed a scrap of paper to record what I was seeing.
I would suggest a cobalt blue or cerulean blue for this scene usually with possibly a touch of violet in the upper corner if you wanted to paint it accurately. I use artistic license when I paint to add drama or even more beauty.
I took several photographs to gain a few ideas on future compositions.
I can easily just add a fence or hedge as a foreground to my above painting which could be quite interesting. Allowing nature to guide us is a great way to learn. Especially if you consider these simple options
1) One option for a painting is adding a dramatic foreground to highlight the white cloud formation
2) Another option could be to add the trees as a distant backdrop to the foreground but this then makes the painting become slightly fussy. Notice in this shot the clouds have disappeared so the excitement element has too. Now the focus moves elsewhere.
3) Option three is adding a simple tree and perhaps not have the foreground so detailed.
It is amazing in how just a few moments you can gain so many ideas for a painting. I took the photograph below with my landscape study painting in sunlight and shadow. And this too gave me more ideas for a new painting.
The benefit of photographing your work in shadow and sunlight is that you can discover further options on how to paint the same scene but in a variety of ways using colour to darken or soften the result in sections.
For now I am going to paint and have a ball doing so. Its' a new year and I am going to be painting so many new subjects with so many new approaches and I cannot wait.
Roll on the next twelve months of watercolour!
Here's to an exciting 2016!
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