Our plein air group had a paint-out yesterday to the little fishing village of Dunmore East. It was one of those days which could easily have been a wash-out, but things worked out great thankfully. It was raining in the morning, but had stopped by the time I got there. It was still overcast though and remained so long enough for me to finish my first painting. The sun came out in the afternoon and it looked like a summer day for about two hours (time to complete a second painting) before a cold damp sea fog enveloped everything. So it was really great, with consistent light for about an hour and a half for each painting. Both paintings are 14" x 18" oil on canvas.
This is the first one. I liked the inter-weaving shapes of the distant headland and the foreground rocks ( I compressed everything horizontally to enhance the effect). I also liked the solidity of the nearest cliff-face against the relatively lighter values of the sky and sea.
This is a photo of the scene:-
I painted this afternoon one from pretty much the same spot, but just facing in a different direction. I love painting "contre jour" and this view proved irrestible:-
This is a photo of the scene:-
4 comments:
There's something a little different about these compared with your instantly recognisable style. Is the size of canvas having an impact on the size of your brush strokes and is there an alteration to your usual palette?
They are both exemplary pieces and I love the way you have handled the contre jour view.
Thanks Mick. I'm using slightly larger brushes these days, so if they look different, it's not that. Usual palette too, so it's either the hazy conditions of the day or maybe just the photos - I think the photos are a little fuzzy compared to the paintings. Is that what you noticed compared to other recent work?
wow these are good michael!
so much depth and atmosphere
excellent
good thing you are using bigger brushes,gives a less fragmented feel
I'll be producing sail-sized canvases by August, Rob.
Post a Comment