Vermont Barn - Finale

Vermont Barn - The Finale!
Oil 20" x 20"
$595.00 + $20. s/h

Day 25 in the 30 in 30 Days Challenge

I made the few changes that I talked about in the last post...darks here and there, adjusted some lights, painted the cupola.  I'm happy with the way the painting turned out.  One odd thing, the photo here on blogger came out a bit bluer than the photo in Iphoto.  Not sure why.  I've removed and reloaded this and for some reason, it's a bit too blue.  I don't like having a photo here that's not accurate.  Not sure why this is happening.  Frustrating.  Please imagine that the blues in the roof and the silo are a bit grayer, not quite so bright blue.  Otherwise, I like this!  Now, on to some painting from life.

Vermont Barn - Step 4

Vermont Barn - Step 4
Oil  20" x 20"

Day 23 in the 30 in 30 Days Challenge

I've started laying in some of the darker colors in the trees.  Even thought the trees are turning shades of light green and golds, darker colors and shades are in the back of the trees and create depth.  I've got the bushes in the front of the barn in.  I think they should be a bit darker because they're in the shadow.  In the photo and in my original sketches there are some small shrubs headed into the piece on the lower left.  They then curve down the slope.  I've decided that those need to be changed and/or removed as they take your eye down away from the barn and off the painting.  The focal point of the painting is the barn, and the curving shrubs not only draw the viewers eye away from that, but are somewhat distracting.  With just a soft, grassy slope in front of the barn there is a calm feeling looking up the slope.  I think it also makes a better composition with most of the main subject in the top of the piece.

Even though I planned and drew a value sketch to start out, there are constantly decisions that need to be thought about through out the painting of the piece.  That's all part of the fun and challenge of a painting.

Vermont Barn - Step 3

Vermont Barn - Step 3
Oil  20" x 20"

Day 22 in the 30 in 30 Days Challenge

At this point I've started adding color to the barn.  I painted the largest dark mass first, which is the shadow side of the barn.  Then I painted the light side of the barn.  This side has light as well as  shadow from the silo.  I'm not sure if the light side is light enough, even though it's pretty close to the value.  Since a color mass is not accurate until seen in relationship to the color next to it,  I'll have to wait until the sky and roof are in to know for sure if the light side is light enough.

When looking at the value study, I decided that even thought the trees and bushes on the right of the barn created one large shape, it wasn't working.  So I removed those and added a shed, or barn continuation onto that side.  (That was an easy remodel!)  Now the building and composition work better due to the continuation off the page.

To be continued...

Vermont Farm - Finale!

Vermont Farm - Finale!
Oil  20" x 20"
$595.00 + $20. s/h

Day 16 in the 30 in 30 Days Challenge

 The farm painting is finished and I'm really happy with the end result.  I like the looseness of the crops, the light and shadows on the buildings, and the values in the trees.  After looking at the piece for a few days I did end up slightly darkening the shadow side of the silo (although I don't think it really shows in the photo), finishing up the buildings on the far right, and doing small touch ups here and there that probably only I would notice.  

I want to thank everyone for all of the comments, likes, etc. throughout the process.  It was fun as well as helpful for me to share my step by step thoughts....Now, onto a new piece!

Vermont Farm Step 5

Vermont Farm Step 5

Oil  20" x 20"

Day 13 in the 30 in 30 Days Challenge

At this point I've blocked in the rest of the barns and the trees.  As I said, I needed to see the color masses next to each other to know if they work.  I like the strong contrast between the light and dark of the barn, but still think the silo shadow side needs to be a bit darker.  I didn't get to the two small houses at the far end, or  the top of the far silo, they are still the original value tone.  The trees need another pass with the lights.  I think the light green in the back of the field could use a bit more light.  I'll work on all of that today, then let the piece sit for several days while I look at it and make small changes before I say that it's all done.

Vermont Farm - Step 4

Vermont Farm - Step 4
Oil  20" x 20"
Day 12 in the 30 in 30 Days Challenge

Yesterday I talked about the front of the corn field, whether or not to continue the corn, or have it be a fallow field of something else.  After thinking about this for awhile I kept it all corn.  The focal point of the painting is the farm and I felt that something different in the front would draw the viewers eye to the bottom of the painting away from the buildings.  With just freshly cut cornstalks in the entire front, the rows are similar which is a calmer feeling.  (Freshly cut corn stalks are a challenge to paint!  These look like they could be freshly cut anything, but that works as they are not the main subject matter.)  I feel that I now have a better composition.  The rows take your eye from the bottom of the painting up to the corner of the subject mass and then across the buildings, up the left side of the silo, round the top, down the right side and back into the buildings.

I've started putting the colors into the buildings.  I painted the biggest darkest mass first, (sometimes I paint the lightest mass first) the shadow side of the big barn, then the silo next to that.  I previously talked about the relationship of the color masses next to each other..even though I got the silo values pretty accurately, it now looks to me that the shadow side of the silo may not be dark enough and the light side is almost the same value as the sky.  A color isn't accurate until seen in relationship to the color mass next to it!  So, now I'm going to have to spend awhile looking at and thinking about those two areas.  But, until I get the rest of the barn painted I won't know if the shadow side is right!