In this continuing phase of laying down base colors I begin to see some depth.
The depth of field will need to evolve as I move closer to the viewer and this makes me start thinking more about what time of the day it might be. Like I said before, it can’t be too early or too late in the day or it will effect the angle of the sun, saturation, detail and color. As I work I need to decide where the light source will reside. The light must be sourced above a rising line sufficiently to light the ground right in front of me. That’s where I’ll have grasses and bushes eventually.
If we are looking at the sun it can be a distraction so now clouds need to be pulled into play. I need to get the sun out there far enough to give me the angles I want and lay atmosphere between our eyes and the sun. That means there needs to be distance between me and that far ridge.
Ridges need to fade, and in some cases I need to think about where geographically in the country I am, to choose height and color. At first I put hills in blue to give me depth but that was really indicative of larger mountain ranges and not the rolling hills of the Midwest. The Blue Ridge mountains are blue for a reason. The color and shapes reflect size and height and depth through distant reflected light. In the Wisconsin rolling hills they tend to be rolling greens, grays, browns. Fall might introduce blues, yellows, and reds so I also need to think about the time of the year. The plant life in early spring will have lime green and smaller scale, while fall has details that are larger and colors more varied.
So far this has been pretty fun and I am starting to see something emerging that has potential but I know that this painting has only just begun. The blog has caught up to the canvas now so I’m back to the easel for the afternoon. I will try and post daily for the rest of my vacation time spent in the studio. Stop back here if you want to continue watching the process. If you are on FaceBook, following the Kelly James Art FaceBook site will alert you when there is a new posting here.
Kelly E. James 