1.20.2012

Bulrushes In The Marsh

Recently I was trying out different colors to create atmospheric scenes. I start out with a loose idea of what I want to paint and always block in the sky first. I then stand back and look at the watercolor to see what I want to add to make it more interesting. After painting the sky, far hills and the flat marsh, I thought how boring the piece looked. Then I remembered what my art instructor Jerry Stitt always tells us when a piece has too many verticals or horizontals in it - use an opposite thrust. So I added the bulrushes in the foreground. It definitely made the piece come alive.  That's what's so exciting about painting, you can start out with one idea for a piece and end up with a totally different result from what you planned.
Posted by at 12:20 PM
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5 comments:

  1. Bello. Stupendo il primo piano delle canne. Elvi

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  2. This is a lovely atmospheric painting Jean. I've been trying to imagine it before you added the bullrushes and I can see that it would have had many horizontals. That's a great tip to bring balance back into a picture. Thank you.

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  3. Thanks for this tip, it is true in every sense and is obvious in your lovely work here!

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  4. A great lesson to pass on Jean! It is why I do what I call my streaming across when I do my aspen pieces!

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  5. Elvi: Thank you.

    John: I like to pass on tips from my class that help improve a piece.

    Padmaja: Thank you.

    Saundra: It's always good to remember the elements and principles of design when painting.

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