Archive for November, 2009
Plein Air Painting
A friend loaned me the book Cezanne - his Life and Art, by Jack Lindsay, which Arts Review says “must surely become the definitive source-book for the relation between his life and his art”. It illustrates the struggles he had in becoming an artist as well as problems all the Impressionists had in being accepted by the Salon and the public.
Each of the Impressionists had his/her own style, of course. They originally called themselves Naturalists because they tried to paint the way things really looked in nature, rather than in the traditional imaginative situations. Their landscape paintings broke with tradition and were painted outdoors en plein air.
Texas Trees
According to my host here in Austin, TX, the two most abundant trees, at least in this area, are the Texas oak, which grows to about 40′, and the live oak, growing to about 15-20′. Also, around here there are many pecan and soapberry trees which grow to 15-20′. Youpon hoilly (20′) is often used in landscaping.
Some of the most beautiful live oak trees I have seen were in Mobile, AL, and in Fort Myers, FL. They were large in trunk size, not extremely tall but very broad. The ones around Austin that I have seen must be young as they are small and grow close together. Either way, live oak would make wonderful subjects for landscape paintings.
Texas Landscape
Happy Thanksgiving to all! I flew to Austin, TX, this past Saturday to visit and help a friend. She has a horrible disease called Progressive Super Nuclear Palsy (PSP), which in my book, is next door to Lou Gehrig’s disease. She loses her balance and falls backward - somedays more than others. And that’s why I have no painting to show today - I’m not on my usual computer.
Anyway, I’ve ;been noticing the Texas trees which are very different from those of my usual haunts. Many are in the 15-20′ rang;e but, I have to say, they have personality! I’m hoping to have time to do some creative work soon, so you may see them in my future landscape paintings.
Choosing Scenes for Landscape Paintings
It is very helpful to have a viewfinder through which to look as you determine just how you want the placement of the scene ahead on your canvas. You must decide which object is your focal point and about how much of the canvas to allow to it and how much to the surrounding area.
One crude, but always available, method is to use your hands. Open your left hand so that the thumb and forefinger form a “C” and use your right forefinger to close the “square”. Now, you have a small area through which to look. By moving it around and closer and farther away, you can decide on the correct placement of the scene on your canvas.
Another, more exact, method is to take a sheet of paper, measure about 4 inches from a corner on both sides of the corner. At each of those points, draw a line about an inch long perpendicular to the edge of the paper. From the ends of those lines, draw lines parallel to the edges of the paper back toward the corner until the lines meet. When you cut out this piece, you should have an “L” shaped paper. Repeat.
Use the “L” shaped papers to form a square or rectangle, depending on the shape of your canvas. Use as mentioned previously to find just the right placement for your landscape paintings.
How Colors are Affected by Adjacent Colors in Landscape Paintings
A color is affected by the color next to it. Try this: Draw four squares about 2″ on a side and within each, draw another square about 1″ on a side. Paint the middle square of each the same color, say red. For the surrounding squares, use yellow, green, blue and gray respectively. Notice that the red appears different against the yellow background as compared with the others.
Another suggestion would be to set up a simple still life. Look at the various shapes of light and shadow. Mix one color and put it on the canvas, then another. Don’t worry if the color doesn’t look the same on the canvas as it did on the palette. Continue until you have the whole canvas covered. Then go back and make the corrections you need. Chances are that when you change one color, you will also have to alter the surrounding colors. This is good practice for your landscape paintings.
Getting Ready for Landscape Painting
As an artist, you need to be in control of the colors and the mood of your landscape paintings
. It is up to you to decide if you want to paint the scene ahead in warm colors or cool colors.
The following is a suggestion: Set up a small still life and paint it in the colors that are correct for each object. Then take each of the colors you used on your palette and divide them in half. Add a small amount of yellow to half of each color you used and paint the scene again. Lastly, add a small amount of blue to the other half of each original color and paint the scene a third time. Notice that the second painting is warmer than the original and the third painting is cooler than the original. Which do you like the best?
Mixing Colors for Landscape Paintings
If you have not mixed colors before now, this exercise will help you control the colors in your landscape paintings. First, we will mix Cad Red Light with Cad Yellow Hue, so place them about 6″ apart on a canvas or board or paper. (Masonite is great for this. Cut a piece into boards about 8″ x 10″ and cover with gesso). Leave some of the red where it is, but move most of it a short distance toward the yellow. Now, add a little yellow to the red mixture you just moved. Again, leave some of that where it is, but move most of it another short distance toward the yellow. Add a little more yellow to the orange-red you just created. Continue in this manner until next to the yellow, there is very little red in the mixture. Then below each, add white to each combination. You will see some of the combinations possible. Do the same for Ultramarine Blue and Alizarin Crimson and for Cerulean Blue and Cad Yellow Pale Hue.
To study the grays, mix orange and blue with varying amounts of white, and in like manner, red and green and white, and purple and yellow and white. I hope you were able to find some very neutral grays as well as some warm and cool grays.
Colors to use for Landscape Paintings
If you are a beginner, chances are that you may need to buy paint. Inexpensive paint will work just fine as all paint consists of pigment and a binder, often linseed oil. I suggest small tubes of warm and cool varieties of the three major colors plus raw umber and white. For example, alizarin crimson and cadmium red light, cadmium yellow hue and cad yellow ore always use the hue, if possible), ultramarine blue and cerulean blue.
Titamium white is probably the best white for all around use and you will probably need a large tube, but bear in mind that titanium is also toxic, so if some gets on your skin, try to wash it off as soon as possible. Personally, I use Flake White Replacement, as it is non toxic, but more difficult to find.
Also, consider the medium you might want to use to dilute the colors and/or help them to flow. In the past, I used turpentine to help the colors flow as well as to wash my brush. However, turp is also toxic. Now, I use linseed oil for both purposes. Ordinary canola oil is good for cleaning the brushes followed by washing with ordinary hand soap or Master’s Soap, which is wonderful for getting out even dried paint.
With these few colors, you will be able to mix any color you choose in preparation for your landscape paintings.
Landscape Paintings from Maryland
Ohio is the land of my birth and I still have fond feelings for Ohio - even though the winters are very cold. It was here that I learned to love the land and the trees that grew on it. It was here that I planted vegetables in the spring and helped my mother preserve them in the fall. It was here that my father cut corn and formed it into shocks, and here that, in the winter, I took my sled across the creek to the hay field, now cut short and covered with a luscious white powder, and slid down the hill, almost into the creek. It was here that I grew up, graduated from high school and college and became a professional.
Ah, but Maryland has my heart. On the western side are mountains with their beautiful vistas and ski lifts for winter fun and on the eastern side is the ocean for frolicking in the summer. In between, there is a plethora of deciduous trees, of beautiful evergreens and of tall, stately slash pines, among others. I can find such a variety of settings and trees that I have a wealth of background information for when I do my landscape paintings.
Advancing and Receding Color in Landscape Paintings
Landscape paintings use a two-dimensional surface to show a three-dimensional scene. In order to create a believable painting, the artist must use his/her knowledge of colors and edges.
Cool colors appear further away from us than warm colors when seen from the same location. Mountains in the distance will become cooler with greater distance. Also, they will become grayer, less intense, and with edges that are less distinct. Objects in the foreground will appear to have more intense color as well as sharper edges.