Monday, October 11, 2010

a roadside attraction

I have taken about a million photos of scenery we hurry past when my husband and I are on road trips.  I'm always excited to view them later to select references for paintings but my photos are always disappointing.  Telephone poles, bridge railings, the side mirror of the car, and sometimes I have no idea what I was thinking when I pressed the shutter button. But on our way home from Leavenworth, we came upon a road crew so we were completely stopped for several minutes. And there, right beside our car was a beautiful little scene: two trees, brilliant with sunlight and steeped in shadow - bright fall foliage and tall dry grasses at their base. Click!

I thought you might be interested to see the oil wash foundation for this little 9 x 8 inch painting.

4 comments:

  1. Love the blue/lavender grass on this pastel and I do love the vertical piece on this blog that announces your show at the Jeffery Moose gallery. I think that is one of my favorites of yours. Beautiful.

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  2. Hi Deb, Please look again...is the vertical piece for Jeffrey Moose Gallery gone? That was a gigantic detail of "Chain of Events" and was a temporary accident. Thanks for your comments.

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  3. This is so beautiful Barbara! I would love to be able to interpret a photo as loosely and as lively as you have done here. I paint with pastels and am interested in trying underpaintings with oils but I know nothing about the process. Would you please explain what you use? Is this for studio painting only or does it work for plein air as well?

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  4. Hello Donna, Regarding an oil-wash under painting, I think those who love plein air are willing to haul whatever is necessary to the site so yes, it would work for plein air. It is simply a thin wash of oil paint. I paint on Wallis and the Gamsol odorless mineral spirits in the oil wash dry quickly without buckling the paper so it is ready for pastel in about an hour. There is really nothing more to it. Apply the oil wash, wait until it is dry and apply pastel. Have fun and thanks for your compliment on my work.

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