This is a piece I started on the spot last fall and recently finished up in the studio. It's one of my favorite scenes to paint. On this afternoon I was painting out there with Scott, Sue and Sarah. Sue really liked a little painting I had of this spot at my gallery, so I took them out there to paint.
I often mention that I started a piece on the spot and later finished it in the studio. I actually have a picture of how it came home before any adjustments in the studio, so I thought I'd share that here so you can see a little of my working process. I suppose I could have left the piece as it was and it would have been fine, but I wanted to take this one a little further than the loose look it had. One of the choices we have to make as artists is when to stop. Since I had painted this same scene many times before I wanted to bring it to a little more detailed finish this time around.
In the on location photo you can see that I was working on a neutral toned canvas, a product of an earlier failed painting. I started with my shadow shapes and then added the shapes that were in the light. At this point I had yet to cut in the sky shape. The light was changing pretty quickly at this time of day so I was working fast. Trying to get color/ value notes as accurately as I could.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbQVJmPMsEnVyg1KdykwVw-htRYL23dZ9dDA7H5ltxOJIXoQq-NF4RAeNK6aKF0gEt9pvEtegdy8J4gzeODcqqykN5CQM4KZhOK3MiXGZccsoTComYakNQkMok4cW4sHlqHVc6x-SMwPGV/s400/A+Special+Time+11x14)
"A Special Time" 14x11" oil. Frank Gardner © 2011
$1,050. Framed. Available at Galeria Gardner
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn1CZS_sj5TByGFgoqGNkDjU98hfbnSCdg8W3ilg6XcSdul8Or2DNAeDLXMi2ODOPF_rK5UFh39tIGqn2MpAUq0_l-F7eDOAlc5rmvlRTgWdbgdJRAjwNFQpnNCTYcewXwI4ld2NKgJbyE/s400/A+Special+Time+stage+1+FGardner.jpg)
As it came home from painting on the spot. Frank Gardner © 2011
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlI70AIallxHjsqNrw0FBvFnKgrEmu2EbpdjmOqIsK_VlQCBBU8srlPsFjKPT5EyVEyOWchWiPnN6NH8W0rXoB4I_8S9-mZ9RMlLROj2mYTG4WE8-xJ0CR4U7r26TB2wUDcDf9h0DMk-uN/s400/painting+spot+fgardner.jpg)
Painting with friends Sue and Sarah. Frank Gardner © 2011