One of the things that most attracted me to settle down in North Carolina is the wonderful scenery it contains. From the rugged beaches of the Outer Banks, through the lush farm- and forest-lands of the Piedmont, to the Blue Ridge Mountains, I indeed love calling North Carolina home! It presents a wonderful continuum of scenic beauty that constantly challenges the photographer and the painter in me.
During the late Spring of 2011, I happened to chance upon a nice rural scene not too far from home. It was a tranquil early evening filled with the muted sounds of cattle lowing and the occasional mosquito humming by. I captured several shots of the cattle farm and its imposing pond. It was my full intention to use it as the subject of an oil painting. The image of the pond is on my Flickr feed here.
I then began work on my largest canvas to date, a massive 4ft by 2ft monstrosity of pure white. It was my intent to make this painting Cinemascope-wide and as grand as possible in an attempt to capture the atmosphere and the feelings of warmth it invoked in me. The task ahead was daunting since I only started painting in oils last year (see Starting Oil Painting) and am still learning how to tame the medium!
Here I will briefly outline the development of this canvas. There was a long hiatus due to the fact that I was completely buried in work, but I have discovered that it was a good thing. For one, it permitted the canvas to dry down nicely before placing details. For another, it allowed me to consider how those details would appear and where I would eventually place them. I also had some excellent suggestions from my painting friends on the Facebook group called “Painting as a Second Language.” (If you paint in your spare time and want an inspirational and supportive group, come join us.)
Stage one was laying in an underpaintment area which would contribute depth and solidity to the final work. I have come to understand that a painting has to build solidly from shadows. The semi-translucence of each of the paint layers will permit these foundations to contribute to the final image. Additionally, it covers over the daunting whiteness of a virgin canvas and permits better matching of hue and value over time. Notice the preponderance of shadow purples and browns under what would ultimately be the foreground and forest areas. I also started to work in a skyline.
Stage 1: Farm Near Sedalia
The next stage was to start laying in the basis of the grassy area around the pond as well as to tap/brush in the inner forested areas. A small amount of refinement to the sky was also done, mainly because the forest areas would overlap the sky and there needed to be a sense of completion on anything left showing through.
Stage 2: Farm Near Sedalia
The next major task was to start bringing in the foreground tree trunks and their basic structure. The reflections in the pond were also becoming more and more important because I was preparing to start brushing in tall, lush grass which would overlap the pond and greatly reduce the possibility of changes later. Notice the reflections of trees and sky in the glassy surface of the calm evening.
Stage 3: Farm Near Sedalia
It was time to begin the painstaking task of brushing in the grasses. I opted to use a rigger and to attempt to bring out the long, waving stalks of grass. It may have been a bit over the top, but being foreground items, I felt that they were important enough to merit this treatment. The lushness of the unmowed vegetation watered by this pond was crucial to me. I also worked on the fresh Spring leaves on the trees in an attempt to capture that new-life color that the season births.
Stage 4: Farm Near Sedalia
The next set of tasks involved working in the farm buildings and fencelines and a bit of effort was spent in refining the grassy areas and the reflections in the pond. Small details were touched up to bring the painting into a higher-state of “polish” in preparation for adding the final items. Once this was done, I took a hiatus to allow the paint to set up, not expecting the hiatus to last five months!
Stage 5: Farm Near Sedalia
The final phase was to convert this pretty land into a working farm. I brushed in hay bales, added a door to the old barn and a tractor, added some landing ducks (inspired by a photo I had captured earlier during the year), and then worked in some cows in the foreground. I then suggested cattle in the background and the painting transformed from a lifeless entity into one full of life.
I present to you the final version of the painting, “Farm Near Sedalia,” for your viewing enjoyment. It was a pleasure to work on and it, like all canvases, taught me many valuable lessons.
Final Canvas: Farm Near Sedalia
A larger version is available on my Flickr feed at www.flickr.com/photos/claforet. Hopefully this has inspired you to also go out and create a canvas!
