Last Snow In The Forties

[Enyaw]

Study .. 11 x 14 inches oil on paper .. alla prima .. brush/knife .. painted Feb 20/22
Trying to find the door to landscapes .. I find it difficult to steer clear of the camera picture, so to speak, and add my two cents to what I see.

 

[john]

Nice painting Wayne. Scraping in the trunks was a good idea. But then it gets more real. Do you want more real? I'm never sure myself.

Some artists copy the photo exactly and others make it all up and others move around the elements right? It's all good.

I personally need a good well composed photo to start with. It's hard to improve on nature.

 

[Enyaw]

Thank you John. I want real but in an unreal way. When you go real you need subdued color because earth colours are very mute. If you paint a tree all bright it looses it's place. If you paint it in an unreal setting then you can use brighter color and it doesn't look out of place. You still see a landscape. It's getting it down to fewer colours and values that seems to work. I don't want to replicate Group of Seven but somewhere between them and Russian Impressionism where they slap a few hues in and you are looking at a barn. I agree, I need a model but then I need to forget about the model like Van Gogh did.

 

[laika]

The water is not working for me, but I really like the rest of the painting. Very interesting approach, Wayne!

 

[Artyczar]

Oh wow, I love this one. Love how you handled the mountains.

 

[snoball]

I like this one a lot. Anxious to see where you take this new venture in painting.

 

[Donna T]

Nice one, Wayne! I think I understand about your wanting real but in an unreal way. There has to be a balance but finding it isn't always easy. Your work always feels expressive to me and never like you just painted a photograph.

 

[Jo Castillo]

The water is not working for me, but I really like the rest of the painting. Very interesting approach, Wayne!

I agree with this, the water looks like a huge shadow. A dark surface line under the snow would make the snow lie down but I don't do abstract so not sure if this goes too real. I love the trees and mountains. Super fine!!

 

[Enyaw]

Thank you Lamar, Ayin, Sno, Donna, and Jo

I never gave it much thought but yes, the water could use a line. It's difficult to know what to leave in and what to leave out.

You hit it Donna. Expressive rather than factual. Years ago I did strive for more realistic and I actually got a few that looked good but I just don't like painting that way.

 

[joe1It]

wonderful job

 

[laika]

I keep coming back to this one. The trees and the distant hills and ridges are totally believable and pleasing to my eye. I would like to see this new approach taken further.

 

[Enyaw]

Thank you Joe and Lamar ..