Oil on Board, 10 x 14 inches
I started this painting on site, in extreme heat, even at 10am, with the sun beating down on me from my left, but after 3/4 of an hour, it became unsustainable, not from the heat, but the thousands of small flies in clouds above my head and landing on the wet paint every few seconds, requiring lifting off with the corner of the palette knife. So, I got as far as I could then finished it off in the studio.
I again adopted a far looser approach than has been my modus operandi for a long time, using a big, Rosemaryandco Eclipse Short Flat brush for all the tree, hedgerow and field work. I'm liking the more 'painterly' feel, the less photographic look, so might even submit this to the Royal Institute of Oil Painters and see if they like it...
Since I am only an amateur artist, and my opinions are just that, please use my comments for what they’re worth to you. I very much like your typical degree of abstraction, and would hope you maintain that, rather than following the “looser is better” advice. I find when looking at looser paintings that, while they may have an initial impact, they do not stand up to more extended scrutiny.
ReplyDeleteThe Distant Fire painting looks to me like a good plein aire sketch which could be used for a more detailed studio painting reference. The bolder foreground brushstrokes have an appeal, and your composition has good depth as is typical of your work.
Harvest Bales is less successful, I feel, as the stubble stripes seem rather undefined relative to the rest of the painting.
I like Harvest Fields the best of the three, as it seems to meld a somewhat looser approach in the foreground with a satisfying degree of detail in the tree, and a pleasing vista.
Jane
Many thanks for your valued comments Jane - very good of you to bother! I think I will inevitably retain a fair amount of detail in my paintings, but perhaps with a modicum of 'looseness' in parts, that leaves a little for the viewer to complete. I agree that Harvest Fields is the best, and it has been accepted for the final stage for the Royal Institute of oil Painters exhibition, so we'll see if it makes the final cut! I am painting trees with a different brush and technique, which makes them look more painterly, so I think I'm going in the right direction. With best wishes and thanks again! Peter
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