Sunday, March 6, 2011

Colour on A Dull Day

I went out with a few friends to paint yesterday, but once again it was one of those boring, grey days that we've been getting a lot of lately. Usually, I try to find something with a bit of colour to paint on such days, but the landscape where we agreed to meet up is very flat and devoid of any strong colour at this time of year. However, if you look close enough there is always something worth painting. I thought the mud pools left behind after the receding tide (this lake is actually a tidal lagoon) made an interesting pattern, and there was an attractive warmth in the foreground grass and in the reeds, which I played up a bit.

About an hour and a half on location and another twenty minutes or so in the studio this morning.


Overcast Morning, Lady's Island
(10" x 12" Oil on Canvas)























This is a photo of the scene taken before I started:-



11 comments:

René PleinAir said...

This could well be Holland Michael.
Where did all that water come from?!?! Some artist like these kind of weather, Richard Schmid wrote in his book Painting the landscape an whole story about this flat light, yo u get much more time to paint stuff the light isn't going to change that much. As well he said the landscape and the colours on you palette work together, what he means you can see very good at the photo, the warm colours in front and the cooler one in the back, ... together with the cool light overall helps to mix the colours much precise

Claire Beadon Carnell said...

The soft color in these just shimmers with life, Michael - beautiful work!

Michael McGuire said...

Hi Rene. A lot of South Wexford is like that. Not quite below water level, but not too much above it either and very flat. It's true that this sort of overcast day provides "ideal" plein air conditions, since the light changes very little over a couple of hours. What I usually find is that anything with the slightest hint of warm colour really "glows" on a dull day, especially if you are close to it. Probably, more a matter of perception rather than reality, but I find when I push these colours a little in such conditions, it always seem to look more real.

Michael McGuire said...

Hey, thanks Claire! Glad you like my recent "dull ones"!

rob ijbema said...

the way i see it,you made the most of the day and the scene michael and still plenty of color,yes you are a color junky even on a grey day!
rene is grey turkey!

Jeanette Jobson said...

Michael, I recently discovered your art though other links and have to tell you how much I'm enjoying your paintings of the sea.

I lived in Ireland for about a year many years ago and some of the scenes and names walk me down memory paths. Thank you.

I've added your blog to my bloglist so I can keep your treasures close by. :)

Michael McGuire said...

Hey Rob, we must try and get Rene to come over to Wexford for Art in the Open. Bet he would see more colour here. A few pints of Guinness would probably have him seeing a little more colour than usual the following morning. (Since you may read this, Rene, only joking, but I would really love if you made it over here for our annual plein air festival)

Michael McGuire said...

Glad you like my work, Jeanette, and thanks for joining the bloglist. Just curious, but which part of Ireland did you live in?

rob ijbema said...

color after guinness?
you must be joking
he'll be screaming
black,black,blaaack!

Michael McGuire said...

You're right, Rob. We'd have to get him to Mary's Bar (remember?) and then he would paint everything green next day!!!

Michael McGuire said...

I'm sure you understood, Rob, but just in case, green was the original colour of the Irish flag.