The Crevice- A Comparison

 

                                               Before                                 After

 The Crevice

10 x 24"

acrylic on canvas

© Nicki Ault, 2010 

sold

Before the Open Studio at the end of November I did a bit of tweaking and one of the paintings I fiddled with was this one, The Crevice. The bottom always read a little dark, so I tried to create a bit more depth by making a stronger suggestion of the fungi that were deeper in the crevice. I lightened up the bluish fungi as well and now I wonder if I did too much. I will have to look when I go back to the studio. I think this photo is a bit on the light side, so it is playing with my memory a bit.

I have been painting, but I am working on something I can't show for awhile. It is a piece that is really stretching me out of my comfort zone- big time. I think I have already put more hours into this than anything I have ever done. I am extremely excited about this project, so I am having a hard time not writing about it, but patience is a virtue, so I will keep my trap shut. As much as I would love for this piece to be mind bogglingly brilliant, I think at this point I will just settle with not completely embarrassing myself! (hint... because it is so not a landscape I am painting).

The Crevice

I thought I may as well post the last of my fungi paintings (to date)... it won't be seen at my show, so it may as well be seen here. I thought it would be fun to post the photo I worked from, as well. The picture was taken at my favorite painting location, Spruce River, P.A.N.P. and I had wanted to tackle it for about a year. This summer when I was at the Emma Lake Kenderdine Campus we had a couple of rainy days so that is when I found my chance.

These glorious little fungi were growing down in the crevice of an old rotting tree stump near the river's edge. It was like a little enchanted world of it's own... a fairy land. I wanted to shrink down and go exploring! I painted it with acrylic on a canvas measuring 10x24 and for the first time I worked on a gray underpainting. This gray was the big colour mixing revelation of the week at the class for me. One of the other students said that mixing alizarin crimson with phthalo green (and white) made the best gray. Up until this point I had never used my phthalo green... I had no idea what to do with it. Well, she was right, it can make a great gray and it was a good base for this painting. If anyone reading this has other tips on ways to mix phthalo green I would love to hear them. I think the fungus on the lower left side is a bit bright  and maybe pulls the eye down too much, but I like how the brush strokes look in person, so I think I might leave it. I haven't varnished it yet, so any feedback on this piece would be appreciated.

I'm posting a sign I found along the roadside that follows Spruce River for awhile before it winds back into the forest. It's one of many poetically written signs throughout the national park. (Click on the image to see the words). 

Well, my little partner in crime has been a very good boy for me while I was hunting and pecking away at this entry. Mr. Potato Head was a helpful source of entertainment, as was the animal hospital we made for Tommy's stuffed animals, but I do believe it is now time for some of mommy's undivided attention. Thanks to those that look in today and please leave any helpful tips... I love to learn!