Lighthouse study

Textured grasses and the solidity of the old lighthouse were the attraction here.

Going from Drawing to Painting

Vermont view

Here is a sketch or study and the pastel painting developed from it and the photo taken at the location. Personally I like the drawing a bit better than the painting. Still, the two shouldn't be set in opposition to each other.

I've been drawing all my life, so that part comes more easily to me. Nonetheless, the challenges presented by the painting are much more involved, and I haven't been doing pastels for nearly so long.

Vermont view with river

Adapting to the Art Medium 

The drawing had to be adapted to a different size and shape, and all the squiggles and shortcuts used in the drawing just don't work in a color format. The painting would look like a confused mess.

I made the river the central motif of the painting, which meant the details of the foliage had to be throttled back, so as not to draw the viewer's eye in too many directions. The tree branches in the top left corner were reversed, so to speak. Since the painting format was more nearly square, I needed the branches to point upwards, so the design would seem more evenly weighted.

The Art of Balance

I wanted to show the sky, which the foliage was obscuring. The colors of the distant horizon fascinated me, and I wanted the river to direct the eye to them. The clouds also needed to be more prominent, to justify the shadows cast on the forests in the middle distance.

The evergreen on the right hand side side was played up, so the whole piece would be properly balanced, and to make the river the center of attention. Unlike the foliage on the left, the evergreen branches point to the river, where I wanted people to look, so they would be drawn to the eerie colors in the far distance. 

What differences do you find between the two?