Breaking Twilight 5x7
Hello and welcome to Tonalist paintings by M Francis McCarthy.
Today's study is 'Breaking Twilight' 5x7.
Today's video follows the progression of this study from its original drawing stage to its completion. Also featured is my rambling narration, so please check it out.
In the video narration I generally like to talk about what's gone on for me that day in the studio. What I talked about today was how I am currently trying to complete a series that I started back in November. At this point in time there are 15 scenes in the series, there's another painting that I started on Christmas Eve that is a complete repainting over a previously unsuccessful panel.
I have been taking Sundays off to concentrate on household chores and to give my mind a break from thinking about painting. So when I got in the studio on Monday morning, I was feeling sure that I was done with the series having finish the second color pass of the last painting on Saturday. Sitting in my chair looking at the paintings I began to feel an urge to address some small niggling issues that I had noticed as the paintings were drying.
At first I just picked up a brush and a little bit of my chromatic black mixture and was daubing a bit here and there. After a while it became clear to me that I was going to need to do a third color pass on almost every scene. As of today, I have nearly got through the bulk of the series, making small yet important adjustments here and there. Not to mention indulging in my current dry brushing addiction.
As a painter you have to really listen to your inner guidance and intuition to get comfortable with knowing when to stop working on the painting. This is one of the greatest challenges of being a landscape painter. I'm pretty sure that most of us that practice this art are never 100% satisfied with any painting we do. However, there needs to be an end. Followed by a new beginning of course, you always have a chance to do it again better.
My career as an illustrator has both helped and hindered me as a landscape painter. It has helped me in that the primary job of the commercial illustrator is to complete art for print or other purposes. If you work in a commercial studio you know what it means to have a deadline and you know (if you're good) exactly how much you can get away with tweaking an illustration before letting it go.
The way I've have been hindered with my background as illustrator is by my initial artistic (self) training that put a strong emphasis on detail and the importance of rendering. Rendering is what you do when you illustrate and over rendering is a common malaise. This is an issue that you can get away with in illustration work that is absolutely unacceptable in landscape painting. Excessive detail and over rendering are the death of almost any painting.
Cheers,
M Francis McCarthy
A bit about 'Breaking Twilight' 5x7; I'm happy with this little study and it currently hangs in my bathroom at home. Fairly pleased with the larger 8x10 version that we will be discussing on Saturday also.
This is a motif that I took a photograph of in England several years back. I have painted it at a 12x18 size and also as a study, and as an 8x10 twice. I feel a great affinity with the sort of lone tree against a beautiful twilight sky motif and I'm sure this will not be the last time I paint something like this.
To see more of my work, visit my site here
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| Breaking Twilight by M Francis McCarthy, 5x7 Oil Painting on Wood Panel |
Today's video follows the progression of this study from its original drawing stage to its completion. Also featured is my rambling narration, so please check it out.
In the video narration I generally like to talk about what's gone on for me that day in the studio. What I talked about today was how I am currently trying to complete a series that I started back in November. At this point in time there are 15 scenes in the series, there's another painting that I started on Christmas Eve that is a complete repainting over a previously unsuccessful panel.
I have been taking Sundays off to concentrate on household chores and to give my mind a break from thinking about painting. So when I got in the studio on Monday morning, I was feeling sure that I was done with the series having finish the second color pass of the last painting on Saturday. Sitting in my chair looking at the paintings I began to feel an urge to address some small niggling issues that I had noticed as the paintings were drying.
At first I just picked up a brush and a little bit of my chromatic black mixture and was daubing a bit here and there. After a while it became clear to me that I was going to need to do a third color pass on almost every scene. As of today, I have nearly got through the bulk of the series, making small yet important adjustments here and there. Not to mention indulging in my current dry brushing addiction.
As a painter you have to really listen to your inner guidance and intuition to get comfortable with knowing when to stop working on the painting. This is one of the greatest challenges of being a landscape painter. I'm pretty sure that most of us that practice this art are never 100% satisfied with any painting we do. However, there needs to be an end. Followed by a new beginning of course, you always have a chance to do it again better.
My career as an illustrator has both helped and hindered me as a landscape painter. It has helped me in that the primary job of the commercial illustrator is to complete art for print or other purposes. If you work in a commercial studio you know what it means to have a deadline and you know (if you're good) exactly how much you can get away with tweaking an illustration before letting it go.
The way I've have been hindered with my background as illustrator is by my initial artistic (self) training that put a strong emphasis on detail and the importance of rendering. Rendering is what you do when you illustrate and over rendering is a common malaise. This is an issue that you can get away with in illustration work that is absolutely unacceptable in landscape painting. Excessive detail and over rendering are the death of almost any painting.
Cheers,
M Francis McCarthy
A bit about 'Breaking Twilight' 5x7; I'm happy with this little study and it currently hangs in my bathroom at home. Fairly pleased with the larger 8x10 version that we will be discussing on Saturday also.
This is a motif that I took a photograph of in England several years back. I have painted it at a 12x18 size and also as a study, and as an 8x10 twice. I feel a great affinity with the sort of lone tree against a beautiful twilight sky motif and I'm sure this will not be the last time I paint something like this.
To see more of my work, visit my site here
 |
| Breaking Twilight 5x7 (Detail) |