A Plein Air Session along Wisconsin's
North Branch Oconto River (2/3)
Author: Larry Seiler, Contributing Editor
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If you've been following some of my other lessons here at WetCanvas!, you know of my habit to wrap a rag around my index finger, dip it in a bit of turps and then paint to block in masses, the composition, and warm/cool areas of contrast (see image to the left).
I do this so quickly that the painting takes a big step toward being finished in the first 5-10 minutes. You can see one challenge I had right off as evidenced in this photo, and that was of the many shadows surrounding trees were casting on my painting surface. Something I simply decided to put up with for what I felt was an outstanding view. I'll share something personal at this point to help you understand that experience is no guarantee that things always go smoothly or easily. At one point of the painting a sudden and definite panic got a grip on me. I felt suddenly overwhelmed. Too much information was badgering my senses. The sound of the river, the sun disappearing, my eyes finding themselves bouncing all over the scene in front of me demanding attention. I knew that I had lost control and needed to get it back. |
| I had to go back to when I first began the painting and remind myself what had caught my eye. I squinted my eyes and determined those things NOT to be given particular focus and time. I decided the contrasts of the lights and darks, and warm and cool colors were all that I needed, and soon I felt my confidence returning. |
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| Shadows are filled with cooler colors to help the warmly lit areas of the painting appear warmer.
I wish I would have thought to take a photo at that moment panic had set in, but then...I wasn't thinking about anything but recovery at that point! At any rate, here is the painting's stage at about halfway through the session and after I had regained control. Note how quickly things can change by this second photo of the scene (below): |
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