Seeing the Whole Picture

 

 

   When I paint I use a horizontal board attached by spring clamps to vertical boards. The vertical boards are screwed to my easel frame. The horizontal board has an ergonomic slant and I rest my hand on it to paint. This is particularly useful when I am working in the middle of an oil painting and there is wet paint around that section.

 

   A disadvantage of this technique comes in to play on large paintings. The vertical boards are about 2.5" wide and on a painting which is 36" wide obscure part of the painting on either end.  

 

   To work on this part of the background I removed the horizontal board and the vertical boards so I can see the entire piece at one time. Until most of the background is complete and I am ready to start on the horse I won't reattach the boards. 

 

 

    There are so many non-horizontal lines in the background hills and rock cliffs that I wanted to have a steadying horizontal on the right side in the valley's dried grasses.

 

 

 

Keeping it Cool

 At this stage I'm still keeping the background cool. As I paint more in to the foreground, the colors will be mixed warmer. It is tempting to move warmer too soon, but if I want to maximize the depth of the landscape I am erring on the cooler side. Paint can be added later if I think certain sections need a tad more warmth.

Background or no background?

    A landscape painter focuses on the setting of his painting, working to grab the viewer's attention to the scene he has created.

  For the most part I am a wildlife painter. My main focus is to represent the animals I have seen in the wild. But, how best to do that? I have noticed a trend in recent years in which artists will use an abstract background for a wildlife painting.  Many pieces are quite creative and have a modern feel. 

   I have used a simple mix of colors background in a few wildlife paintings, however I gravitate to keeping the animal in the natural world.  I believe the habitat is part of the animal's story. Then, how does one create the dynamic between the landscape and the subject? Which is the star and which the supporting character? 

   In this next painting I wanted to paint the dramatic landscape of the Pryor Mountains where the wild Pryor Mountain horses roam. I still want the main focus on the horse. So, I needed a horse which could "hold his own" in the scene, an A-list actor with enough charisma you can't take your eyes off him. Fortunately, I had several contenders from the wild herd I saw. I hope you will think I cast the correct star.

Below is the start of the landscape. 

The painting is 24" X 36"

 

Finished

Sea Lyin'

Original Oil by Linda Besse

14" X 11" 

 

 

 

Starting the Stellar sea lions

 The sea lions on all sides of the buoy enhance the three dimensional feeling of the painting.

The Buoy

 

The greens on this buoy seemed particularly bright on this gray day. Some areas were more turquoise, some emerald green, and some a warm green. And, when rust came in to play, there were a lot of colors involved.

 

 

 In addition to completing the buoy, I have also added some blue to the foreground water.

 

 

 

Stellar sea lions

 While on whale watching trips out of Juneau and Icy Strait Point we spotted Stellar sea lions. I was fascinated by the interaction of the sea lions permitted to take their respite on a buoy and those who had to wait their turn. 

The trip out of Juneau on a small guided boat in rough water with just six passengers was the more exciting of the trips for the camera. I wedged myself in to one corner of the open air stern so I could hold on to my camera with both hands. Often it was too rough to photograph so I lowered the camera and watched the sea lions, memorizing the colors and feel of the scene.

I started the painting with the sky and mountains then worked my way down through the water. The foreground water is just roughed in at this point.