#4 Henry Ward Ranger, Masons Island - 25 Days of Tonalism
Hello and welcome to Tonalist painting with M Francis McCarthy.
Today's study is painted after Henry Ward Ranger, 'Mason Island.'
Our video features the progression of this painting from its early underpainting stages on up through the final finishing brushwork. Also featured is my usual rambling narration, so please check it out.
Today I would like to talk about tree shapes. In thinking about this topic, it occurs to me that I've probably discussed this with you before (maybe more than once even ). The very nature of painting the landscape means that as artists, we have to revisit the same problems over and over, so I don't feel too bad in addressing this particular aspect some more.
More than almost any other part of a landscape painting, the tree shapes define the composition and determine whether the painting will be successful or not. One thing I've noticed with different painters is that they tend to create tree shapes that are distinctive once they have matured as artists. This is one of the quickest ways that I can identify the work of one painter over another.
When I think of tree shapes and different approaches, my mind automatically goes to different artists I've studied like, John Constable, George Inness, Charles Warren Eaton and Camille Corot. These are without a doubt the greatest painters that have ever painted. Each of them has a definite, defined approach to their tree shapes.
Whether their approach is conscious or unconscious is debatable especially since all of the guys I just mentioned are dead and we cannot pick up the phone and interview them. I feel safe though in guessing that for all of them there is a combination of both conscious and unconscious work involved in the shape and structure of the trees in their paintings.
I also feel safe in guessing this because I know this is always the case in my own work. At times I feel that I cannot ever escape the types of tree shapes that I create. Even if I believe that I am changing things up there are always tendencies manifesting that while not immediately apparent to me, become apparent upon further observation after my painting is completed.
In many ways, this is a signature, like handwriting tree shapes are a unique individual way to identify different painters. In my studies after the Masters I can usually see the differences quite readily, the fact is, though my tree shapes in my studies cleave quite closely to the Masters, they are somewhat different and uniquely mine.
Since tree shapes are almost always silhouetted against a brighter sky, they are the most noticeable area of contrast in landscape paintings. Tree shapes are a great aspect of landscape painting to study.
The areas of transition between the tree and the sky are also of vital importance to creating a successful painting. I'll be talking a bit more about this in my blog post tomorrow. For your edification some links to sites about Henry Ward Ranger here and here.
M Francis McCarthy
Landscapepainter.co.nz
A bit about my study painted after Henry Ward Ranger, 'Mason Island'; as I stated in the video this is a study I was really looking forward to painting. What I love so much about it is how Henry has created an interesting painting from what at first appears to be a mundane woodland interior scene. The variation of values and shapes combined with the warm rich greenish red colors make it a standout.
I'm quite happy with my study after Henry Ward Ranger's painting. Like all of the small studies I do, there is a lot of interesting details in his painting that I could not re-create due to the small size I work at on these studies. This is intentional, the idea is not to replicate the Masters painting so much as it is to get the soul of it and integrate that into my own work.
To see more of my work, visit my site here
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| Painted after - "Mason Island" by Henry Ward Ranger, Study by M Francis McCarthy - Size 5x7, Oil on wood panel |
Our video features the progression of this painting from its early underpainting stages on up through the final finishing brushwork. Also featured is my usual rambling narration, so please check it out.
Today I would like to talk about tree shapes. In thinking about this topic, it occurs to me that I've probably discussed this with you before (maybe more than once even ). The very nature of painting the landscape means that as artists, we have to revisit the same problems over and over, so I don't feel too bad in addressing this particular aspect some more.
More than almost any other part of a landscape painting, the tree shapes define the composition and determine whether the painting will be successful or not. One thing I've noticed with different painters is that they tend to create tree shapes that are distinctive once they have matured as artists. This is one of the quickest ways that I can identify the work of one painter over another.
When I think of tree shapes and different approaches, my mind automatically goes to different artists I've studied like, John Constable, George Inness, Charles Warren Eaton and Camille Corot. These are without a doubt the greatest painters that have ever painted. Each of them has a definite, defined approach to their tree shapes.
Whether their approach is conscious or unconscious is debatable especially since all of the guys I just mentioned are dead and we cannot pick up the phone and interview them. I feel safe though in guessing that for all of them there is a combination of both conscious and unconscious work involved in the shape and structure of the trees in their paintings.
I also feel safe in guessing this because I know this is always the case in my own work. At times I feel that I cannot ever escape the types of tree shapes that I create. Even if I believe that I am changing things up there are always tendencies manifesting that while not immediately apparent to me, become apparent upon further observation after my painting is completed.
In many ways, this is a signature, like handwriting tree shapes are a unique individual way to identify different painters. In my studies after the Masters I can usually see the differences quite readily, the fact is, though my tree shapes in my studies cleave quite closely to the Masters, they are somewhat different and uniquely mine.
Since tree shapes are almost always silhouetted against a brighter sky, they are the most noticeable area of contrast in landscape paintings. Tree shapes are a great aspect of landscape painting to study.
The areas of transition between the tree and the sky are also of vital importance to creating a successful painting. I'll be talking a bit more about this in my blog post tomorrow. For your edification some links to sites about Henry Ward Ranger here and here.
M Francis McCarthy
Landscapepainter.co.nz
A bit about my study painted after Henry Ward Ranger, 'Mason Island'; as I stated in the video this is a study I was really looking forward to painting. What I love so much about it is how Henry has created an interesting painting from what at first appears to be a mundane woodland interior scene. The variation of values and shapes combined with the warm rich greenish red colors make it a standout.
I'm quite happy with my study after Henry Ward Ranger's painting. Like all of the small studies I do, there is a lot of interesting details in his painting that I could not re-create due to the small size I work at on these studies. This is intentional, the idea is not to replicate the Masters painting so much as it is to get the soul of it and integrate that into my own work.
To see more of my work, visit my site here
 |
| Original painting - Henry Ward Ranger, Masons Island |
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| Painted after - "Mason Island" by Henry Ward Ranger (Detail 1) |
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| Painted after - "Mason Island" by Henry Ward Ranger (Detail 2) |