Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Soft Prairie Days

Soft Prairie Days
6 x 6"
oil on board
© Nicki Ault, 2016
sold

I was at the studio on Sunday afternoon while my son was at football practice. I had just enough time to experiment on another small board, but when it was time to clean my brushes I looked objectively at my results and the reality of what had materialized did not match the vision in my mind. What I envisioned was another fun, flirty, dancy autumn scene; what I got was a piece o' _____ (fill in the blank). I left the studio thinking that maybe I would feel differently when I saw it with fresh eyes the next morning.

Nope. 

What I realized, however, was that the whole thing was perhaps not utter garbage. I liked the top half, it was the bottom half that didn't work. At. All. This is where a highly useful painting technique comes in handy: The Wipe. I took my lint-free rag and went to town on the lower portion of the board. It looked better immediately! I reworked things and now the painting seems cohesive and like the parts belong together. I am happy with what has turned out to be a soft, calm prairie scene.

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