Last Snow

[Donald_Smith]

Hi,

This is a 16x20 enlargement of a PA painting I did this past spring. I used WS Oils on gessoed masonite.

This painting is being raffeled off this fall to raise funds for the Employee Fund which helps out families at Christmas who are having a major illness, or one year a families house burned down.

Your C&C is invited and appreciated. I always have room for improvement in my paintings.

Thanks for looking!
Don
PS: I've included the orginal PA and the enlargement in that order.

[Carrie]

Wow, you have changed the light to very cool. Your field study has much more warmth in the background and over all color harmony. I like your little critters in the background in the studio piece.
Carrie

[Donald_Smith]

Hi Carrie,

Thanks for the comments. I would have to hold both paintings up in the same light and compare them. I was thinking the original study had a cool back ground as well, and it might be the light used to photograph it makes it look warm. I have incandescent light bulbs in my studio, and not to long ago, I replaced them with some "natural light" bulbs. Not the 3200 Kelvin lamps I'm supposed to use, but not as warm as regular light bulbs. There are little critters in the back ground of both paintings. They are supposed to be white tail deer.

So, I take it you like the plein air study better than the studio painting. Good! In some ways I do too, so I'm not the only one..:)

Have a nice day,
Don

[Donald_Smith]

Carrie,

I was thinking about why I painted the enlarged painting to be cool. I always felt like I goofed when I painted the plein air and made it too warm. It was snowing when I painted it, so I didn't catch the cool atmosphere, so I fixed that when I enlarged it. There is a lot to be said about happy accidents.

Thanks for your input,
Don

[brianc]

Nice work, Don.

I think you've improved the small painting, which has more of a vignette feeling to it. The studio has size and depth not found in the smaller. I love the snow you've added and the deer in the distance. Nice professional work.

[Carrie]

I guess I didn't notice if it was snowing or not in your little original, I just liked the color harmonies in it better. I liked the trees behind the structure and there are softer edges from what I can see in your images. That could be totaly different in real life. You changed the scale and value of the fence from the original.( I felt the fence helped lead the viewer into the picture better in the first one) It's just my opinion, I could be wrong. There are improvements in the foreground in the newer painting I think. I really don't even paint in oil, I think it's too difficult. I paint in watercolor so I don't have to buy white paint!

Carrie

[Donald_Smith]

BrianC,

Thanks! I appreciate all the nice compliments. I've donated it to the Employee Charitable Fund and it is being raffled off this fall. I hope others like it and buy tickets for $1.00.

Don

[Donald_Smith]

Carrie,

That's just it, you can't tell it was snowing in the first painting. The over all atmosphere is warm, and it was a cold day. I seriously thought about splattering both paintings with a bluish white to make it look like it was snowing. I've seen it done and like it, but I also read where someone thought it was too cliche', my gut instinct was to add the snow flakes, but my logical brain won the argument, who want's to be cliche'? Yup! I goofed on the fence in the second painting and should have had it show more depth. I couldn't paint the same painting twice exactly the same if I had to.

Everything I've ever read about water colors say they are for experts only. I've played with them a little, I certainly own enough of them and my darling wife enjoys painting with watercolors. To me it's much harder to paint light to dark than dark to light. I can always add white to fix an area that got to dark, but with water colors, if you get color in the white area it's hard to get it lifted before it stains the paper. Goucho white helps. the other big problem I have with watercolors is my color vision is off. I can't always tell how light or dark a color is until I put it on the paper. When I do paint with watercolors, I have to use a scrap piece of paper to test my colors on. I do like they way the run together and make soft trees and clouds. I used to paint with acrylics, but since I've switched to painting mostly plein air, and switched to WS oils or oils, I like the textures, and blendablity of the oils. If I want them to dry fast, I just add a little drier and I can paint wet on wet. I recently bought some mongoose or badger bristled brushes and they really help with the wet on wet.

Gotta run, thanks for the comments. I agree with you completely,
Don

[michaelson]

Hi Don,
I have painting in winter only once, and found my paint all gooped up--it was really cold. Your topic reminded me of a site that I discovered a few months ago. I go back quite a lot for inspiration. These old Russian painters are the pros and their winter work is outstanding. Whether done outdoors or in the studio makes not difference because in any case they have got it down so well that you can't tell. Amazing work that we can all learn from.
Michaelson

[Donald_Smith]

Michaelson,

What kind of paint are you using? If it's below 32' F I will use regular oils. If it is over 32' F. I use water soluable oils. Paint does get thick when it gets cold, but mineral spirits or turps thins it out and makes it flow.

Do you have a link to some of the Russian painters. I would like to see them. Names would work too, I can search for them.

Thanks,
Don