You may have seen my previous post on the "Morning Vista" series. I revisited the same view of San Miguel with a slightly different take on the color and composition. My goal was to try and capture the light effect looking into the sun as it came up above the hills behind town. These are on small boards which made it easier to not get caught up in the details of the scene. I just wanted to think in terms of color.
"Morning Vista, Into the Sun", 6" x8" oil on board, 2007
Private Collection
"Morning Vista, Radiant Light", 6" x 8" oil on board, 2007
Private Collection
James Gurney describes this light effect well in a post on his blog Gurney Journey.
Looking toward or into the sun is something that pops up again and again in my paintings. With enough practice I hope to be able to get better at it.
In the top painting I reversed the standard cool colors recede principal and put my warmer colors where the sunlight is starting to break into the scene and the cooler colors are in the foreground. In the second painting the sun is a little higher so the light has radiated out into the whole view.
8 comments:
The first one is my favorite, I love the amount of contrast in the foreground. Both are absolutely beautiful paintings. I wish it were warm enough here to get up early and paint outside, I envy you!
Thanks Ambera. I guess maybe the term "revisited" is misleading. These were done in the studio. The color is mostly from memory. We drive by this view every morning to take our daughter to school. I always slow down to look and try to remember how the light looks.
The first painting in the series was done on location. During school, that hour is a bad time for me to go painting.
I agree with Ambera for the same reasons. You may remeber that I painted a similar view of this from the San Raphael house. I had it much cooler--more yellow in the sky and the foreground was very dark and obscure. There was more fog in the valley and just the taller spires showed through. Maybe it was earlier in the morning. You capture the feeling of this time so beautifully here, with many fewer strokes!
Hi Jack, Great to hear from you and thanks for your input. It is good to hear opinions on these since they are so similar yet different. I have been hesitating to post these because I don't feel that the photos do them justice. They look so much better in person.
I remember your painting and I think that the difference in color has to do with that mist, the time of year and the vantage point. Yours was painted in winter and this reference was July. Also, your foreground did not have all of the green along that river leading you into the piece.
I'm glad to see that you've started a blogger account. Easier to get feedback.
Wish you were here! 70 degrees the other night in the jardin for the Mexican Naval Orchestra and Choir. You would have loved it.
I'm amazed by your ability to paint colours by memory. I try, over and over, to recapture colours and usually fail. It must take so much practice!
Painting from memory is a tough one. Especially with MY memory. I had the on site study to work with and some photos for design so I just had to remember color. I looked and looked for the right light and then painted and then waited for that type of light again to check it. It might be a bit idealized because of that, but that is part of art, right.
Hey Frank . . .speaking of the color green, as in envy, it's been raining here for ten straight days . . . . seeing your two little "lovelies" makes me squirm.....I can feel the warm weather and dry feet !!! ;-)
These are both luscious!
Sorry about your rain Mike. You guys have had some bad weather lately. It's been pretty nice down here.
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