I’m giving up on this one. I like several things about it but I can’t get it to hang together. So I’ll put it in the archives and look at it as a memory.
Here’s the reference photo.
And here’s my version.
I’m not giving up on the Yupo version of sunset at the cottage. I might just wash it off the whole thing and start from the residual shapes and colors. Here’s the reference photo.
And here’s the painting. It’s an interpretation. Perhaps Yupo is not the medium for this painting
This painting of my favorite book and food store is on coldpress. I started it in class and it just sort of took off. I like the way the light plays against the shadows.
Maybe you cropped it too much. You have minimized the corners where the walls meet the floor and ceiling that give it some depth, and maybe a little less bric a brac, and I don't know why you didn't keep the stained glass. There is the actual room and then there is the photo, and then there is the image of the photo in your mind, what urged you to paint this? Out of all the sitting rooms in all the cabins across this vast land, why did you choose this one? Then paint the image in your mind.
ReplyDeleteLike the yupo painting. If you don't think yupo is the media for this image then paint the image that yupo wants you to paint and put the photo away.
Why, in God's name, would I want to paint that window when I have the much more vibrant actual window to look at? When I do a window, I lay it out and paint it before doing the actual window.
DeleteBy the way, a reference poto is just that - a reference. You observe something, photograph it, crop it, and edit it before painting it. It doesn't have to be exactly like the picture. I don't like those realistic paintings. Just print the photo. What does "paint the image that yupo wants you to paint" mean? That is what I always do with Yupo. I let Yupo do it's thing and then decide whether or not I like it. The problem with the lake scene is that there is just too much pigment. I'll fix that and see if I'm still interested in painting it.
Your painting is true to the original, but just looking at the painting, I was seeing an older, smaller cottage with a darker, cozy vibe. I think Ken's right in having to do with the cropping. I also like the hat on the chair. I noticed it in the reference, but not in the real painting. I feel the same about the sunset. It's got a different vibe than the reference photo--more about the sunset, while the reference is more about the lake. I think you should put the reference away and carry on with your painting. If you want, you can always do another with a different mood. I really like the bookstore painting a lot. It's got structure, but not so much that it it lacks the artist's hand. That's going to be a good one!
ReplyDeleteI agree with the above comments. There's a disconnect between what you're painting from the actual photograph and what you're actually getting down in the painting. The cabin photo looks rather spacious and somewhat modern. The painting looks like it's trying to account for the details in every single little item in view to the detriment of the overall feel for the place (and or composition). The landscape photo looks framed by the two large dark trees on either side, with darkened leaves on top and darkened ground on the bottom. Aqua sky and lake and a small triangular sliver of yellow-gold trees and reflection near the center. The painting is about something else altogether and looks jumbled or mumbled. Now the building with trees behind it is really got something going for it.
ReplyDeleteThe reference photo is not what I'm trying to paint. I've painted that scene a hundred times. I'm trying to get the effect of the shoreline foliage on the water. I have not succeeded in this effort, but I know what I want and will try to achieve that.
DeleteLook at your last painting. You say it yourself- “I like the way the light plays against the shadows.” Look how dark those shadows are. That’s what’s missing in the other two paintings.
ReplyDelete