Working Small

I've been working on a lot of small pieces lately.

 "Moonlit Meadow"  (11x11) by M Francis McCarthy

I started oil painting with small sizes, reasoning that I could cover a lot more ground by working small and expedite my learning curve. I still paint fairly small but I'm comfortable at larger sizes when the feeling strikes."Moonlit Meadow"  (11x11) by M Francis McCarthy
I love painting 5x7 and 5x5 oil versions of most of my motifs. I call them oil sketches for pricing purposes but truth be told they are all valid oil paintings and I put my soul into them just as I do my larger works."Moonlit Meadow"  (5x5) by M Francis McCarthy
What I enjoy most about painting small is the way it helps focus me on the colors and design of the motif. I cannot put in much detail as generally I'm painting with a #4 brush which is quite large for a painting that small.

I don't worry much about following the 5x7 versions when painting larger. Sometimes I'll use it as my main reference but more likely I'll paint the motif larger using my comped reference for inspiration. 

 "Moonlit Meadow"  (5x5) by M Francis McCarthy

If I find things need to be restructured for a motif it usually shows up on the larger painting. I will often use my 5x7 version to retool the design and then take those ideas back to the larger painting.

More and more in my work practice I see things that need improvement after living with a painting awhile. These days I will just change the painting. In my early days I seldom did this. I think my reticence came from my career as a professional illustrator. There, a job needed to be done when it was done and that was fine as the art was generated for commerce.

Now I make paintings because I want them made and I also like them to be done well. Truth be told the only impediment to that process is me as the artist. When I get out of the way and let it flow, the paintings are always better.

So, some good information and some rambling for you all tonight. Be well.

Cheers,

"Moonlit Meadow" was conceived as a "blue" painting. I've seen other artists pull this off and I wanted to give it a try. Not sure I did pull that off but over all I'm pleased with "Moonlit Meadow".

This painting was repainted a few months back. Mostly I replaced the old sky which was a bit too indistinct and halfhearted. The result of cleaving too tightly to my source reference. I also pumped up the colors and removed a pyramid top from the main tree mass.

"Moonlit Meadow" is currently on display at my studio located at the Quarry Arts Center in Whangarei.