Friday, June 18, 2010

Canada, Aye?


"Canada, Aye?"



11" x 14" acrylic on canvas board

This is my version of Lake Aquitaine in Canada, painted for the most recent painting assignment over at Paint and Draw Together.

I am not a landscape artist. I do not know how to paint clouds. Or water. Or trees. But this was the assignment, and part of the challenge of doing these online artist assignments it to get out of your comfort zone and paint things you would normally never in a million year paint; like Lake Aquitaine. Not that it's not gorgeous, it is, it's just that I usually shy away from landscapes.

The photo I was copying was that of a stunning lake, full of reflective glory and surrounding peacefulness. I want to go there. Right. Now.

As far as the painting goes, I know there must be some "trick" to painting clouds. Some flick of the wrist, splaying of the brush, to make clouds quick and easy.

There also must be some "trick" to water. I avoid water like a plague because as a self-taught artist, I have tried to invent a water/cloud trick of my own mostly to disastrous results. I think this one came out pretty well considering my extremely limited experience with landscapes.

When and if there is a beach assignment, I will be up a current without a lifeguard!

2 comments:

  1. Hi Paula, Followed the link to your blog from the PADT blog.I see that you say that you are not a 'landscape artist'.

    Perhaps a landscape artist would have painted differently, but I really love the way you have creatively changed the original composition to something much more interesting.

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  2. I was going for that time of night when the colors are washed out, where only the only green is gray or fire engine chartreuse, but I think is came out too chalky. I'm going to add more depth of color to balance out the stark contrasts.

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