Camera troubles

The lens on my camera got jammed the other day so I have been unable to take any photos of the work I have done at the studio. I just picked it up from the repair shop late yesterday afternoon and it seems all of the settings have gone back to the factory ones. I will fiddle with it this weekend and hopefully get it to where I like it.

 River Thawing

7x7 

acrylic on canvas
© Nicki Ault, 2010

BEFORE

 River Thawing
© Nicki Ault, 2010 

AFTER
sold

 In the mean time, I am re-posting a painting I did en plein air this past spring as well as the final, tweaked version which has never before been on the blog. After receiving a bit of feedback on the original piece I decided to make the foreground ice more interesting and I also pulled the right hand side of the ice up ever-so-slightly to make the angle less intense and to keep the viewer from feeling like they were sliding off the edge. I was looking up river while I painted this, so my eye saw the shoreline at an angle. Someone did mention to me that the water line should be level, but I think the angle makes it more visually dynamic- so it stayed.

I have to say I liked the original piece and wasn't sure if I wanted to change it, but after sitting with it awhile, I agreed that the ice wasn't interesting enough. So if I liked the painting before, I love it now! I feel excited when I see the "after" picture! Thanks to all who offered feedback 6 months ago!

The Learning Curve Continues

I have no artwork to post today... well, I could dig something up from days gone by, but I actually just feel like writing.

I was at the studio this afternoon and got working on the larger version of "Lit" which felt really good. I'm excited that I actually feel a bit motivated to get some work underway. The four days of plein air painting last week seemed to be just what I needed. It has turned cold again, but I'm okay with being back in the studio because I know this cold spell won't last forever and Spring truly is on the way.

Anyway, I had my four plein air paintings set out on my table at the studio and two other artists that were working in their spaces came over to say they liked what I did last week... but then an impromptu critique ensued! It started with one of them saying I needed to be careful when doing the horizon line of a river or body of water- it should be level and not on an incline because water doesn't flow like that. The painting she was referring to was "River Thawing" and I was quite confused at the time, but I think I am starting to understand what she meant. When I painted it I was looking down the river (not straight across to the other bank) and my eye saw an angle, but maybe in the painting it reads like there is a slope to the river which, of course, is not the way rivers run unless they are going over some sort of water fall. This is where things got interesting, if not a little heated! The other artist piped up and said that this angle didn't bother her, she felt it made the composition more dynamic. My head was going back and forth between them as if I was watching a tennis match! What bothered her was that the water and the grayer edge of the ice were about the same size making it look like two equal bands running across the width of the painting and as a result this section was quite boring. Humph and how about that?!! I can see that point too! How does a person miss these things when they are painting? I caught it on "Ice, Water, Snow, Frost", but missed it on this one. I actually really like "River Thawing", but maybe with these suggestions I can make it even better. I'm thinking if I drop the left side of the bank down a bit to reduce the angle of the horizon line then maybe that will help the flow of the water look more natural. After that maybe I will tweak the grayer edge of the ice so it differs from the size of the water itself. Lots to think about. I am thankful for constructive critiques... if done right, I can really learn something.

Speaking of which, I feel I have so much to learn that I am overwhelmed most days! This is possibly one of the reasons why I have had a hard time getting back at it after our car accident. During the couple of months I was in too much pain and too uncomfortable to go in and work at the studio, I kept looking at and finding all kinds of art blogs. I've thought it before, but in these months it really sunk in.... I know very little about what I am doing in this art world! All these amazing artists can write about their knowledge... values, temperature of colour; warm and cool, how light works, etc., and although I get the gist of what they are saying, I don't think I have the full understanding so as to put it into practice- especially where colour mixing is concerned. I don't mean to make it sound like I don't think I have any clue at all and oh, poor me, but I have realized that when I paint I am not relying on a whole lot of theory! Right now I am painting, I guess, from my gut- what I like, what I don't like... my choices are intuitive rather than, well... informed! I don't necessarily think this is entirely a bad thing, but the unfortunate result of this self awareness is that I am feeling like a bit of a sham! I don't think there will ever be a day that I think I know enough about art. Therefore this desire, passion and quest of mine will be lifelong. But I can think of worse things! :o)

Thanks to all of you who take the time to leave wonderful, supportive comments as you watch me climb this learning curve. It is a steep one and I'm happy to have you join me on this journey!

River Thawing

River Thawing
(revised)

7x7"

acrylic on canvas
sold

It was another great day out painting yesterday afternoon and I really like how this painting turned out. It was a bit windier than on Sunday, but a with blanket wrapped around my legs, full body long johns under jeans and a sweatshirt, as well as a fleece and windbreaker I was kept comfortable for the two hours I had to get this little one done. Oh yes, and I can't forget to give credit to the Tim Horton's coffee that helped keep me warm! Mmmmmm. The whole setting was so perfect and seemed so right.... I really thought that when I "rolled up my rim" I just might win*! Even if it was just another coffee. But alas, I revealed the ever-so-polite "Please Try Again" message. Of course it is in Tim's best interest for me to buy another coffee and "try again" (which I did today), but in the bigger, more philosophical side of things it is also in my best interest to try again. I'm not talking about where coffee cup games are concerned, of course, but with my painting. Even in this funk I need to keep trying. And I know that if I do keep trying, keep plodding along, I will suddenly find myself "onto something". Smart little paper coffee cup.

As a side note, last night I spent a ridiculous amount of time trying to figure out how to add a slide show of my paintings to the right hand side of my blog. Good lordy, for a non-computer type like myself it was quite an ordeal. I am happy to say that I seem to have it up and running... and I am now on Flickr as a result ( I don't really even know what that means). Please have a look if you have a bit of extra time.

*Tim Horton's is  a Canadian coffee/donut company that runs a contest at least once a year where you roll up the rim of your paper coffee cup to find out if you've won a prize. You are most likely to win another coffee or a donut, but there are grand prizes like $10,000 or RAV-4 vehicles.