Challenge February 2023

[KreativeK Moderator]

Carl, I’m excited to see and explore your version of the Bass Rock using this palette.  I see the boat! Will wait for the next larger one.

Moscatel, so nice to see you back on the site, and your castle looks stunning in oils. They do look transparent and reflections so convincing.

Both of you have painted wonderful clouds!

Kay

Moderator: Watermedia, Mixed Media, Abstract/Contemporary

[moscatel]

Kay, thanks! You painted very vibrant and personal looking Highland Bull. I like the way he’s looking at you behind his long hair.

 

[Skyenorth]

Hi Carl, thank you for your kind words about my charcoal sketch, I really do remember that morning so clearly from my holiday looking out into the atmospheric weather.
I simply love your interpretation of the view towards Bass Rock. As you wander along that coastline area there are rocky areas and sandy places in between. It is refreshing to see your painting as you have captured the feeling of ‘weather’ that is so dominant in that area, it can be rare to see Bass Rock on a good day or indeed see it at all! You have got the shape of the rock well too and I love that wee boat on the horizon. Thank you Carl for taking part in the challenge.

Caroline

[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.

[Skyenorth]

Hi moscatel, welcome to the February challenge. So good to hear you are enjoying the challenge and I do look forward to seeing your rendition of the Highland Cow.

Your painting of Eilean Donan Castle is very beautiful. Fine days like this are not uncommon and your choice of blues and purples suits the highland scene perfectly.  I don’t know if you have visited the castle before or indeed seen Scotland but I believe you have captured the atmosphere very well. Those distant bluey hills and that fine sky are familiar to anyone living here, it is rare to have a blue sky without clouds and distant hills without a bit of a mist lingering. The castle is well done as is the bridge and the reflection is really nice. It looks as if you really enjoyed painting this scene very much.

Caroline

[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.

[Skyenorth]

Many thanks Kay for your nice comment on my drawing.

Thank you David and I am honoured to be named Sky after your kind words!

Caroline

[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.

[Dorrart]

Dramatic colors and brushwork Carl, juxtaposed against the sharp horizon looks great.  I like your creative take on the scene.

Moscatel, very good atmospheric perspective and lovely sky and reflections.  Nice work on the castle.  Well done!

- David

"Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working." --Picasso

[moscatel]

Caroline, thank you for your reply and encouraging comments. Thank you so much for being our host! I’ve missed these landscape challenges so I’m glad they are back. I think the Eilean Donan Castle is in some movies/tv series that are placed in Sctoland. I also know some plein air painters in Scotland and they paint spectacular landscapes. I always loved the views in Scotland. I still need to make that pleinair trip to your country!
Your watercolor painting of the Eilean Donan Castle is very good! I like it a lot! Nice sketches of a tree and a leaf as well. The sea view towards Bass Rock is so soft, misty with beautiful greys. It’s nice to hear that you sketch/paint in the morning before doing other stuff .. I often do the same: only me wake up before everyone else and paint or sketch when on a trip.

David, thank you!
Interesting watercolor work of the Summer Tree and Summer Fields. I enjoy reading the technique of the process b/c I’ve never heard about it before. Very well done!

[moscatel]

CokeR, Kay and Christel, very well painted Highland Cows!

Thank you for the information about female/male being recognized by horns. So true, their name can vary also depending on a country. I actually saw last fall Highland Cows here in Finland. We went to a cabin to spend a weekend and to paint plein air. I went with my cat to see these cows to a nearby field and show them to her .. you know: cows and cats get along well. She isn’t scared of average cows but only one move of a highland cow and my cat got scared and started to pull away from them. I must admit I was scared too b/c they are so massive besides we didn’t even go very close. But the highland cows were calm. I don’t know what is their real nature, tho? I wanted to paint them for a plein air piece but most of them were only far away on the other end of the field so I found that challenging to do.

“Highland Cow”, oil on canvas panel, 24 x 19 cm which is about 9.5 x 7.5 in.

[Skyenorth]

Hi moscatel I love your visit to the Highland Cows with your kitty! The Cows are quite placid in nature though I would not go into a field with them!  They are very popular with the tourists here in Scotland and every castle has a few wandering about in the field close by.
I do love your painting of the Highland Cow you really have captured the gentle character and I like very much the lively brushwork in this painting. The coat of the beastie is very lifelike. The colours are spot on for this part of the world, when the sun shines in the Summer there is that bright yellowish green in the meadows with that purplish moody sky that is here even in the summer months!
So glad you have enjoyed the challenge so much!

Caroline

[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.

[moscatel]

Thanks Caroline!

I might add some flowers (from the first reference photo) to the yellow-green grass area, just for practice but also to knock down the yellow a little bit. Or just simply do another painting. I’m tempted.

We had a fence between me & cat and the highland cow. I wouldn’t go to the field with them .. nope.

[Dorrart]

Moscatel, lovely expressive version of he highland cow!   Very good free brushwork and good color selections.

- David

"Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working." --Picasso

[Dorrart]

Wanted to try Bass Rock and did some reading on the place.  What a colorful history!  I did mine in just a literal manner because I wanted to do the soft transitions from the photo, then I went back in and added a few granulations for drama.  9″ x 6″ Windsor & Newton Professional and some Daniel Smith paints on Arches cold press 100% cotton.

- David

"Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working." --Picasso

[moscatel]

David, thank you!

Beautiful colors and shapes in your painting of Bass Rock! The rock sets perfectly in the distant horizon line in your painting. I now got curious about the story behind this rock and had to google it. Interesting.

[Mayfly]

Moscatel – Nicely done Highland Cow. Really like the loose style, brush work and colors.

David – Great artistic rendering of Bass Rock. I like the variety of colors and edges!

Carl

[KreativeK Moderator]

Moscatel, your cow in her landscape is quite fantastic

David, your version of the Bass Rock is stunning work!

Kay

Moderator: Watermedia, Mixed Media, Abstract/Contemporary

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