The problem is that I'm lazy, and I dont take the time to properly plan out a painting. I just get up in the morning, eat some breakfast, and sit down to paint. It's a mindless habit. That's how I get mediochre results like this painting. Last summer I photographed a Spotted Sandpiper on the banks of Goose Creek.
I liked this photo, but the light was very flat. The overall composition, with the vertical stalks of grass seemed intersting to me.
This is the pose that I liked the most.
In the photos, the rocks compete too much with the Spotted Sandpiper, so I decided to darken the rocks behind the bird. Now I'm not so sure that was a wise decision. The grass hardly shows against the background rocks. Worst of all, the overall painting looks flat, and gloomy.
This is a close-up of the sandpiper. The painting is 14x11" I' think it's really boring, and beneath the level of artwork that I should be doing at this point in my career. Now that I've set the bar so low, the next painting is bound to be better. Ho hum.
3 comments:
Hi John,
Certainly not a bad painting, the bird and the rocks are very well done.
I think lightening and desaturating the background instead of darkening it would give it more depth.
Also maybe lightening the lighter feathers on the sandpiper would make it pop.
Thank you for your generous, and thoughtful comments. I will put this painting away for awhile, and make changes when I can drum up some enthusiasm for it.
Hi John, sometimes, looking with a fresh eye when you haven't seen the painting in a while new ideas will come.
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