Friday, March 30, 2012

"Barnumtown"

This was another re-do of an older painting i had laying around. I'm finding that by re-doing these pieces it is showing me that often there is so much more that can be done and perhaps i am hanging incomplete paintings. I was at a workshop on the weekend with Brent Laycock and a fellow student asked him, "when do you know that a piece is finished?". He said, "when i cannot do anymore to it.". Also by doing this i realized a lot of the paintings i had done did not have enough dark value in them and tended to be in a safe zone of mostly middles. There needs to be contrast and the tension created between the darks and the lights can be dramatic. As in life, we do need those shadows don't we?
I'm excited to put to use these new understandings and look forward to the next discovery.
This is watercolor on Arches 300 lb. cold pressed paper approximately 8" X 22".

2 comments:

  1. Ross, hi hope all is well.. reading this post I almost felt as if I could have written it.
    I go back to old paintings and see so much , and I've been known to add things and darks years after.. (that tell you they're still in a drawer) but no matter it's still a learning process. Like you say "safe zone" that has always been a problem for me.. good to see you here. take care BJ

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Barbra. Thanks so much for your visit. Yes, all is well here. Still painting... and that is good. by for now. Ross

    ReplyDelete