Red Rock Canyon 2

[tgsloth]

MY IMAGE(S):




GENERAL INFORMATION:
Title: Red Rock Canyon 2
Year Created:
Medium: Oil
Surface: Board
Dimension: 11x14
Allow digital alterations?: Yes!

MY COMMENTS:
This is my second plein air done at Red Rock Canyon, NV. Except I blew the alla prima effort and left the failure to dry. I was done in by inadequate wet on wet skill and perhaps should have started much thinner or wiped off my initial effort. But I was dispirited. So...back at the studio I was able to add layers and depart quite a bit from my reference so as to allow the painting to claw its way up to mediocrity. The colors are a bit off in the posting. The reds seem to have become enhanced and the sky is showing cooler. Oh well.

MY QUESTIONS FOR THE GROUP:
Open

[greensyster]

Up close I thought - oops - so I wheeled my chair back and said - WOW.

[Debzy]

The light and shade are beautiful! The colours are very tasty! i love the sky and the abstract element you have achieved! Well done! Debs. =))

[Andrewcody]

Light and shade are good, bright bright light coming over the top.

My first reacation was ....oh noooooo....then I looked again and think that it works.

My only critical comment would be that the canvas you used is too small, 14 by 11...

Thanks for sharing

Andrew

[tgsloth]

Interesting thought, Andrew, that the canvas is too small. Matching the image to the canvas size is an interesting and generally neglected part of artistic creation. I think if I did a straight blow up, the brush strokes would become too big but one never knows...

[maryinasia]

great looming presence.... my favorite part is still the top fifth

[this is amy]

I agree with Marie, gorgeous when I back away from the computer.
Perhaps the rock formation in the lower right corner could benefit from a "pop" of highlight?
Love your colors.

[Andrewcody]

The bigger the brushstrokes the better for me.
Especially when the image could be done on a grander scale.
The rock formation is not some dainty image requiring glazes, it needs boldness.
I think you captured that in the small format.

The subject would suit a larger format, no additional detail needed, I think you captured that really well, the shifts in tone with the light and shadow areas.

Andrew

[tuzigoot]

Calico Cliffs, right??
Red rocks are hard and I have the bad paintings to prove it! Over time I've learned that you need to avoid curves in the rocks or they end up looking like potatoes. Or at least mine did. Also, I think your highlights are a bit too white, unless you're going for snow. You've caught the colors of that formation beautifully- if I were painting it I think I'd mute the blues in the crevices just a tad.
Hope you enjoyed Red Rocks! Looks like you did, even w the spotty weather that day. Most people who visit Vegas have no idea that place exists!
Oh and one other thought. I was struggling w a work from a trip to Zion w a somewhat similar rock wall. It was not working and I ended up wiping it off - the result was exactly what I was looking for! http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/show....php?t=1102262
The painting is totally different from what you're going for here, but you might find the rocks interesting. Call me the accidental artist.