Friday, December 28, 2012

Final Touches

Gold Rush
Original Oil
24" X 54"

I have made some small adjustments to finish the painting. The flipped over mane of the middle zebra just wasn't working so I made it more even. All the shadows are softened beneath the zebra to give the piece more action. Before it looked like the zebra were rooted to the ground.
While I wanted the trees to be soft and loose, the trees on the right needed a little more depth which also helps the lead zebra stand out. I've added some reddish-orangey browns to the trees. A color I like in this instance is burnt sienna and I used it as a base. I have tried Indian Red in other paintings and find it too cool for most reddish brown applications.

In the end, I ask myself if the painting says what I want it to say. It doesn't have to be a profound statement....just something or an emotion I want to share. It does.
The question is, and it is the question most artists ask, does the painting say something that resonates with anyone else?

3 comments:

sschopfer said...

Active and luminous. Gold dust? ;-)

hmuxo said...

This is so beautifully painted. You can feel the motion on these Zebras. Well done.!!

Crista Forest said...

I love backlighting. Beautiful!