Thursday, April 23, 2009

Warm Day in April 8x6 oil

Well it has been a long time since I got out to paint.  Just one thing after another and no plein air because of it.  It was a short visit with Kim Vanderhoek out at Santiago Creek.  It was a very sunny morning and warm.  The shade felt good.  
I seem to think a lot more now about what I am painting and how I am going to get there than ever before.  It didn't just flow out of the brush and magically appear.  I got to play a bit with laying in color and feeling and seeing what I thought.  Shapes were difficult for me.  Seems like the simplest concept, but nothing felt quite right.  That was okay because I did not take for granted that nature was gonna give me a perfect composition without fudging things.  Thought  about the focal point and what makes one work.  Darken up or sharpen up edges???  How do I get the eye to go to a point and stay for a bit before moving around the canvas?  I enjoyed working with color and hoped not to over work it into a nice mud.  I think I did fine.  All and all it was a good paint session and I hope to paint with Kim again soon.  

12 comments:

Kathleen Harrington said...

You have great depth in this little piece. Its so inviting!

Dana Cooper said...

Dori, your little break served you well, this is beautiful! The color and brushstrokes create this quiet scene...yeah!

Michelle said...

Beautiful work! Very warm and inviting with nice brush work!

Leslie Saeta said...

Sounds like you had a fun day. I love the warm colors in this painting. Very nicely done!

Karen said...

I think your thought process & thoughtfulness really shows in this composition...it feels solid, and right, and clam.

I loved Shiela from yesterday too...the way you got the bottom of that shoe is fantastic!

Unknown said...

Lovely! Warm colors really depict the warm and wonderful day you must have had.

Dean H. said...

Great piece...especially love the strokes!

L.Holm said...

Hi, I'm new to your blog--just found you from Leslie's site! What beautiful work! I'm a new fan :-) best regards, Liz

Carol Horzempa said...

I love your approach to this simple little landscape. The colors are warm and the path invites you in...very nice brushstrokes!

jsicignano2.blogspot.com said...

Beautiful. How wonderful to work plein air with a friend. I enjoy Kim's work also. You are both very talented artist.

Edward Burton said...

Very beautiful, Dori - I love the brushwork.

Kim VanDerHoek said...

Beautiful Dori!