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  • #1493207
    ievapalle
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        Hi everybody. This is my new painting which I have finished (or almost finished) today. I would like to know what do you think about it. My aim was to create a painting which is half landscape and half still life.

        Still landscape with the red scarf.

        Acrylic painting, 50×70 cm.

        ievapallart.com

        #1493309

        The cloth is well executed, but I think the drapes really don’t fit with the background unless there is a window frame or something to separate them.

        Doug


        We must leave our mark on this world

        #1493324
        MarkSzy
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            I have some questions about this piece because I find certain areas confusing enough not to know what they are exactly…

            • Are those boxes on the right side of the painting shipping containers? I cannot quite decide what they are exactly. I see labels with writing on them, and perhaps if I understood the language of the writing the identity of these shape would be clearer.
            • I am not certain of what the middle section material is made of. Is that concrete, water, something else? I don’t understand the yellow/green blotching in the middle of this.
            • The white paint strokes on the ground plane seemed rather randomly placed and to me, these strokes aren’t describing anything about the texture or the color so I don’t find them helpful to the design. What are they supposed to represent?
            • I can’t identify the shapes to the right of red scarf at all. Buildings? Train? Tractor trailer truck? No idea what these shapes represent.
            • I need more information on the base idea you’re building this painting upon. Your aim is to “create a painting which is half landscape and half still life.”  Does this mean they are two completely unrelated ideas like two separate paintings on one canvas, or do they relate to one another in some fashion? Is the still life a part of the landscape, or are you trying to separate the two as if you thought of something at home while out in the landscape? Are the ideas related by color, lighting, shape, paint handling, or are you trying to oppose one texture against another?
            • The treatment of your perspective is confusing to me. The box shapes on the right side of the painting have several differing vanishing points within the shapes and the fabric shapes on the left side of the painting have completely differing perspectives from the right side of the painting. The differing perspectives make the relative size of the objects confusing. This confusion is compounded by the different handling, brush strokes, color, and lighting. With the changes in handling and perspective, what were you trying to say about each area?

            I could give a more complete critique, but I have so many questions, I feel as if I could easily go off on a tangent which is unrelated to what you were trying to accomplish with this painting.  If I understood your thought process and what the goals were for this piece then maybe I could direct my thoughts more towards what you are trying to do. :bye:

            Best wishes!

            Mark

            Painting was easy until I learned how.

            #1493342
            ievapalle
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                Doug and Mark, thank you very much for your feedback.

                The objects on the right side are kind of books in the front (the ”letters” on the label are not real and don’t mean anything actually) becoming buildings afar. I think I should improve them for better understanding. I also will change the “street” in the middle. The yellow/green blotching were supposed to be sunlight but now I understand I have to remove it.

                About my idea – I was trying to build up kind of surreal world or fantasy landscape. But I will also think about Doug’s suggestion about window frame, maybe it is a good idea.

                Thank you gain!

                ievapallart.com

                #1493371
                MarkSzy
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                    Sounds good, thank you for clarifying.

                    I would suggest a couple of ideas if you’re going back into this piece.

                    1. Make the first book really say “book” to suggest to the viewer that the rest of the line are also likely to be books. Perhaps, think about having one of the books leaning upon one of the other books to give separation and variety to the shape.

                    2. Remove the rough paint strokes from the sky and the ground. Even out the texture and smooth out the shapes. With all the texture in the sky and the ground, they were competing for the viewers attention. You need to give the viewers eye to rest. To do this, mix enough paint to do the job and don’t skimp. Acrylic retarder will help to give you enough open time to blend your strokes as needed, I highly recommend that medium.

                    Below I have created a quick and rough mock-up of what I am referring to, and maybe it will help describe what I was thinking. Please disregard if I am going off on a tangent which you didn’t intend.

                    All the best!

                    Mark

                     

                    Painting was easy until I learned how.

                    #1493495
                    ievapalle
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                        Mark, thank you very much! Very good advices, especially about the sky.

                        ievapallart.com

                        #1493953
                        Gribbey
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                            It’s a really cool idea, ievapalle, to have the books turn into buildings. And Sky’s pictorial interpretation is super. What about the scarf? (a scarf to me means a friend, in my personal mythology :)

                            I’m drawing these days and finding it hard to figure out how to paint from the ideas. So, I’d also like having someone help think it out – to start me off!

                            Anyway, happy painting.

                            C&C welcome
                            "If you go out in the woods today, you're in for a big surprise!" Jimmy Kennedy

                            #1494497
                            ievapalle
                            Default

                                Thank you, Gribbey! You are right, the scarf should have some special meaning if it is the main object in the painting. My only idea was that it is something bright and joyful. Maybe it can represent a joke. :)

                                And this is the final or almost final version (done after Mark’s suggestions).

                                ievapallart.com

                                #1495374
                                Brent60
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                                    Thank you, Gribbey! You are right, the scarf should have some special meaning if it is the main object in the painting. My only idea was that it is something bright and joyful. Maybe it can represent a joke. :) And this is the final or almost final version (done after Mark’s suggestions).

                                    Big improvement! I really like the concept of the morph from books to buildings.

                                    "I put my heart and my soul into my work, and have lost my mind in the process." Vincent Van Gogh. But the turpentine didn't help.
                                    http://brentbrown.art

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