Lean On Me

Well the more I looked at this painting below I felt I needed to change that area on the left behind the fence as it was now an entirely different painting once that heavy fence went in...the airy quality there was totally different from the heaviness of the rest. At first what I tried was awful...and I had to scrub...which I hate to do but had to save this. I think it is ok but if only I had had thought this through I would not have had this problem...therefore...do as I say, not as I do! ha! Always know your background before you start a painting. I always do but then I will change my mind and make things up and as you can see I can nearly wreck things...I need to put a very large sign up above my studio table that says...WHAT IS YOUR BACKGROUND? DON'T CHANGE YOUR MIND!  Ha!!!  I went in and redid some edges as well on the peony along the dark side of the fence and other areas...I bet I could spend two more days adjusting things but have decided to instead start something new and I turned this against the wall...I cant look at it or I will tinker with it again!!! I will head to the printers that is 3 hours away sometime next week and get this scanned so giclees can be made and cards.

White Peony Completed

I cannot get a very accurate picture as we are having a blizzard but thought I would post this anyway. It is close. I want to be done with this as I have already begun my next painting and I am so anxious to get going on it! I will have to wait until tomorrow but in the mean time I can clean up the studio and be ready to go!

I darkened the sky in the very last because to do it any sooner I might have gone too far. Darks of course are such great contrast but I am always looking for another answer...it is easy to go dark but I wanted a composition back there. I still might do something with the left upper area but decided to wait and think on it. I hope that I can call it done and move on but in reality there is so much I could tinker with and adjust I could be on this another week!! So for now I am calling it done and the title is going to be Lean On Me I think. It was a title suggested to me and I think it is a very good one!

White Peony Demo Continuted

I am a little further...but not as far as I had hoped. Life just keeps getting in the way and so paintings do not get done like they should...but that is just how things are for me right now.

I started the fence and decided to go quite dark with it for contrast but that is going to require alot of adjusting with the values in the peony. I do not think that will be hard however but have decided I need to get the leaves figured out and in so that I have all the other values to look at to make my final decisions on the peony. Each time I wash over the browns in the fence they fade out as transparents will do so then I have to go back in and add some details again so it is taking a little longer but I always enjoy this back and forth play with the painting. I hope after tomorrow I am working on the peony and bringing this one to a close!

Another White Peony!

I started working on another white peony and before Christmas had it blocked in as you will see in the first picture and then finally did some thinking on it and today I added the beginnings of a split rail fence. I am hoping this will work out but means I have to darken all the values again in the peony. The grays are the ones I always make from my triad of Quin Rose, Indanthorne Blue and New Gamboge. The fence is an attempt to split the background into a Golden Mean of thirds to see if I can add interest and hold the eye in that upper third on the right. I should learn photoshop and not experiment with a painting I really like but it is what I do...ha!!

Hope everyone is having a great New Year!!