Sea Oats, 8x10" oil, plein air, Diane Mannion
Painting Buddy
While painting on the beach yesterday morning, the air was thick with screaming gulls and net casters catching bait fish. Wonderful time of the year with the beach almost empty... just a scattering of walkers and fishermen. No tourists looking over our shoulders, a cool breeze and great clouds.
Struck by the orange glow of sea oats against purple clouds, I had to paint fast while conditions rapidly changed. My artist buddy got her pastel painting to the halfway point when we decided to leave after about two hours.
I wasn't happy with my painting until my friend suggested a mixture of orange to add to the sea oats. Worked perfectly! "But don't over-do it," she said... just as I did. So next morning with fresh eyes I went at it with a palette knife and in a few minutes felt much happier about my painting!
It's great having a talented artist friend with well-trained eyeballs whose opinion I trust! Every artist needs at least one good artist buddy.
This is how it looked fresh from the beach with over-worked sea oats. Did not change anything else, the color difference in the sky is a result of camera shot at different time of day.
4 comments:
captivating painting! love it.
So glad you like my painting, Johnna Schelling! It took me awhile to like it, thought I had another wipeout. My painting buddy said to take another look at it later, I did... and liked it more. But when is a painting ever the way you first imagine it? How they turn out is often a surprise and it's what keeps me painting. Reaching for the next one...
Beautiful colours Diane, I find the painting very pleasing and calming!
Thank you, Marcela Strasdas! Funny you think it looks calm... I'm anything BUT calm while painting. Intense concentration and focus. But there's nothing I love to do more.
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