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  • #1463416
    Dcam
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        My recent scene just down the road from me. All oil on Hard- board. Need your eyes: A couple of my friends say the phone pole is a big problem and intrudes. Another artist says it is an essential part of the composition. so……… what to do? If I see poles, I usually put them in, but perhaps not this centered?

        Cheers, Derek

         

         

        #1463428
        Donna T
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            The pole doesn’t bother me, Derek, and I like its  shadow across the snow and up the building.  I like the bright light on the stonework!

            Donna
            C&C Always Welcome

            #1463452

            The pole adds authenticity to the scene and a nice shadow on the cottage.

            Lovely stonework. Take care with the direction of your shadows.

            Doug

             


            We must leave our mark on this world

            #1463467
            Dcam
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                Thanks so much Donna.

                Doug, thank you, but that strange formation of shadows was actually happening under the trees on the left. A real puzzle for sure and teaches me not to be so literal I suppose.

                #1463475
                Ohiohawk97
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                    Beautiful scene Derek!  The trees are wonderful and support the COI beautifully with an interesting architectural element (house) in the background as well.  I agree with the above and the pole does not bother me at all and I love the shadow cast on the cabin.  It bisects a third of the canvas so that is no issue at all and does lead the eye.  I think the only reason some may say it is drawing so much attention is due to the darkest value in the scene against the light value of the stone. I don’t think that can be changed because it would look unauthentic to real life if the value of the pole was lightened a bit.  I like it as is and like scenes to be somewhat representational to what the scene looks like in person.  You do such a beautiful job with that!

                    Wes

                    #1463483

                    The pole cutting the building may be a touch of a distraction.  However, if you remove it, you are left with a very centered building with 2 similarly sized  and spaced trees on each side of it.  The pole breaks the symmetrical pattern, which I suspect  is better.

                    Beautiful work in any case.  Gary

                    "Painting is a verb"

                    #1463518
                    Skyenorth
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                        Hi Derek you could stick the abominable snowman in front of your building and still your painting would be so beautiful! :wacko:   Seriously the post is just fine.  Your painting is excellent. :good:

                        [URL=http://www.simmillarts.co.uk
                        http://simmill-arts.blogspot.com/
                        Success is never found. Failure never fatal. Courage is the only thing.
                        Winston Churchill.

                        #1464028
                        Dcam
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                            #1464063

                            This is beautiful; no surprise there.

                            The only issue with the pole IMHO is that it and its shadow are equidistant from the sides, which, with the roofline and bottom edge of the building,make a square shape almost smack in the middle and lead my eye to the window and keep it there.

                            Just saying that makes it sound worse than it is, though. Maybe lightening the pole a touch would eliminate that, and also maybe I’m the only one who gets stuck there so feel free to ignore me.

                            Wendy C&C always welcome
                            Everybody likes feedback! Please remember to comment on others' threads, even if it's just a "nice work" post.

                            #1464122
                            Dcam
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                                Wendy, thanks, very kind of you. That pole was really much darker than I painted it. Almost black, but I see what you mean; a lighter version would probably help. Easy fix. :-)

                                #1464368
                                Reed Jones
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                                    Hey, Derek!  Haven’t been on here in awhile, but it’s always nice to see your stuff.  I get the issue you mentioned about being too literal.  I also go down a difficult path or two  “because it was there”, getting hung up between authenticity & potentially helpful editing.

                                    Many good comments, pro & con.  My only hang-up w/ an otherwise great image is the leftward lean of the telephone pole kinda matches a similar lean in the trees and makes the entire scene lean a bit.  I think everything looks intentional and beautifully rendered, though, so it is what it is.  I also personally like non-typical compositions.  They shake things up.

                                    I see and understand exactly what caused the shadow pattern on the left (the widely forked tree cast its shadow on some lower ground that was behind a ridge of snow that cut off the base of the shadow).  Honestly, I don’t think most people trace all shadows back to their source.  Painters might, but we’re all a bit obsessive and picky (whereas everyone else w/b blown away by your skill).

                                    www.reedmichaeljones.com

                                    Critiques and feedback are welcomed!

                                    #1464374
                                    Dcam
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                                        Reed: great to have you back. Good thoughts my friend. Yes I feel that the lean left thing is a bit of a problem and a well placed right leaning tree may help. We’ll see. Thanks much for stopping by.

                                        Hope you post some work.

                                        Derek

                                        #1464380
                                        Reed Jones
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                                            I will.  Poured an obscene amount of time & effort into a large, dark, complicated painting that was ill-advised from the beginning and although I at least finished the POS, it will prob will never see the light of day.  One of those where I kept shoveling time & effort at it, hoping I could convince it to stop being such a colossal failure.  Did not succeed.  Ah well… working on something now that is much easier and less entirely stupid.

                                            www.reedmichaeljones.com

                                            Critiques and feedback are welcomed!

                                            #1464399
                                            Dcam
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                                                #1464641
                                                Old Radagast
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                                                    It’s an unusual composition, but it works for me. As others have said, the pole adds some asymmetry to avoid a perfectly balanced scene (rectangular building front and a pair of similar trees on either side.) Also, your paintings are typically very genuine and not the idealized version of a place where all the telephone poles, wires, and street signs are removed. So, with the goal of location and authenticity in mind, the pole actually adds to the scene in a way that it might not in other paintings.

                                                    At any rate, I like it – neat shadows, too!

                                                    Matthew

                                                    Still much to paint and much to learn!
                                                    My blog: https://autumnglade.blogspot.com/

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