Sunday in my garden

[Phyllis Rennie]

14" x 11" oil

Question----does this all-over-the-canvas composition work with this type of subject matter painted en plain air or should I create a stronger focal point??

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/06-May-2002/bleedingheart.JPG

[CarlyHardy]

A focal area could be created just by giving a bit more detail to one area and leaving the rest as is. I don't think you need a strong focal for this....it's like an interwoven tapestry...but a subtle resting place for the eye could enhance it.
carly

[Wayne Gaudon]

.. by using more variance in your whites you could create a center as well .. seems that the whites of the flowers should all read different values and tones instead of being all the same color and value. Example .. the ones in the shade should shade bluish .. not white.

[walden]

I'll let others speak to the focal point, but I like it a lot-- the plant shows beautifully against your dark background, and I really like how you varied the color there. What kind of plant is it?

[Phyllis Rennie]

Thanks Carly and Wayne for the suggestions. I'll probably do just a little more work on it--hopefully not so much that I destroy it completely.:D

Thanks to you too, Lisa. I'm glad that you like it. The plant is an Old Fashioned Bleeding Heart. Don't know if they grow in the hotter climates as they like it cool and shady. Here, in northern Pa., the plant dies out by midsummer. I also have a newer variety that blooms through the summer and, while it's pretty, it lacks the charm and grace of the old fashioned variety.