"A Sunday Afternoon in May" has proven to be a satisfying project. Last post, I showed you some aspects of the planning process, beginning with the reference photo, which is posted again here so that you can see the ways in which I have changed the original scene to create an effective composition for a landscape painting. The St. Johns River actually flows behind the bushes in the photo, but was not visible from that point of view. However, I wanted to use the point of view in the photo because of the lovely patterns the foreground shadows made--as well as the interesting verticals of the tree trunks.Rather than go on about the painting process from last post's sketches through to completion, I will just let you join me in this delightful park-like spot on a private school campus in Jacksonville, Florida. I built the bench just for you.
Question of the day: Wouldn't it be fascinating to time-travel to scenes painted by the Old Masters and compare the actual location to their interpretation of it?
Posts
WOW! It came out beautiful - I love the lighting and shadows. Very nice! And thank you for the bench...I seem to enjoy sitting more and more, very considerate.
ReplyDeleteOh I do love that you've included the river, Mary! It is a beautiful painting! As to the time travel? I suspect I'd be so enrapt by the artists themselves that I'd fail to notice the scenery! Nah...I'm so anal and intense that I don't miss much. LOL
ReplyDeleteVery nice landscape Mary. I like it. As to your question. Hmmm. That a tough one. How about something really skuzzy by Hogarth. I'm walking down a street in London reading something by Dickens. (No pastoral landscape there though)
ReplyDeletelovely - those shadows add so much
ReplyDeleteYour comments are very kind and encouraging, GQ; thank you. The shadows were what drew me to the scene in the first place; so glad to hear they appeal to you as well. And you are welcome for the bench--we all like a nice sit as often as we can get it :>).
ReplyDeleteFun to hear your time travel thoughts, Sherry. And I appreciate your response to the painting. I am glad you like the river; I just couldn't leave it out. Even though the scene "as is" could make a very nice composition, once I had walked around there and knew the river was just behind the bushes, I "saw" it there--just love any natural water in a landscape.
Oh my, TB--I'll steer clear of Hogarth's world and the mean streets of London Dickens described, thank you. Well, come to think of it, it would still be interesting to see what modifications they made for the sake of their art. It is great to hear from you again; thank you for stopping by and for your (interesting and thought-provoking, as always) comment.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Robin--I really value your artistic judgement. I think I will continue to explore local areas at long-shadow time for new painting ideas.