Been awhile, been busy

[CarlOwen]

Hello again. It has been awhile and I have been busy with work around the house and stuff. My usual summer thing. So, moving on I am posting a painting I am doing of the Grand Canyon. It will be my third painting of the canyon. This is a view of the canyon from the main station at the beginning of the park. Been working on it off and on and have now decided to finish it with the intention of placing it in the next Nature contest. Hope you enjoy. Ask questions and critique if you wish.

[CarlOwen]

Next step is to lay in the sky blues background. The blues are a combination of Prussian, Cobalt blues mixed to various degrees with Titanium White. I usually do this with brushes and paper towels as I overlay the colors on the Titanium White blank background done with a large pallet knife. It takes some organized work to obtain that varied texture pallet knife background. But, I like the look and feel of it. If I miss a step, it shows. At least to me.

[CarlOwen]

I just finished the sky, I think. Have to let it rest and dry a bit before I make up my mind. The dark faded areas are applied with toilet paper in a pressing, smearing, and dappling manner first. Second is the pallet knife planned random strikes with the Titanium White. Next come the streaks and patches of grey in various intensities. Then a repeat of Titanium White. Back and forth, back and forth to build texture and create randomness. A mixture of pallet knife strike, dappling, and smearing until I get that random movement and visual sense of depth I see in my mind's eye.

[Singular]

Hey buddy, great to see you. Love the start on this. Clouds already look great.

[CarlOwen]

Thanks Joe. Nice to see your comment. I have to think a bit more about the faded background of the canyon. Will post again when I have that problem solved. Hope I get away with violating the 1/3 rule.

[CarlOwen]

Oh yes, I know I should post this in the works in progress forum, but, for me that forum is limiting to whomever would like to say something that might offend me or hurt my feelings. We both know that is not possible. So I post here to let anyone say whatever they want to. I look for the broadest and even including the most offensive critiques. You see, if an artist does not experience the fullest spectrum of opinion the artist cannot fully grow. I seek growth. So, even you shy ones out there, or the ones I have offended, I would appreciate your comments, opinions; words.

[CarlOwen]

I think I have solved my problem with the far distant canyon wall section. The problem I was working on was how do I make it look faded and distant while maintaining that crisp, textured pallet knife look while not violating the drama in the sky. I think I solved it by mixing colors with the pallet knife on the canvas by changing depth views by splotching, twisting, muddling and strike dragging the knife on the canvas from multi-mixed color piles of paint on my pallet. There are eight distance shifts from far to in your face. One down, seven to go.

learning and doing is such an adventure.

[CarlOwen]

Pulling it forward. While I, of course, know I am the one doing the painting, it is none the less a pleasure to watch it become. This step develops a little more detail by use of contrasting colors for shadows and land formation elements. The next step will be the introduction of greens, dark greens and grey greens in various values. Can't wait to see what happens next.

[Singular]

I agree. I love watching the painting develop. It's a great learning process as well as nice to see the evolution. Nice work so far, Carl.

[CarlOwen]

Thanks Joe. Broke for lunch. Going back to work on it now. While laying in the greens it became evident that I needed to put an anchor form on the left to stabilize the other forms in the painting as I have a tendency to "walk and drift" my land forms from time to time. I might be able to squeeze one more post in today.

[CarlOwen]

This is step 6. I am calling it step 6 because my mind's eye is starting to get lost in the canyon. I have the left side anchor form blocked in and about half finished. I learned a long time ago that if I continue working when I am tired that I loose the visual concept and therefore the painted presentation. Might just as well throw it into the trash. I have in the past. Not now. Will see what I can do tomorrow if I have the opportunity to paint.

[fredain2]

Hi Carl:)

it looks promising. Keep it up!

I'm always impressed by your big skies; their colors palette is sumptuous and have an influence upon the subjects, which make the vieuwer respect them.

[CarlOwen]

Thanks for your critic Adain. I have spent some time learning the sky. Don't want to go into the developmental elements right now because I am in the middle of the next set of problems on this painting.

I am posting step 7. Once again I have to do some thinking. I am now going to deal with the left side of the canyon. The top part has to give the illusion of receding into the background while the lower part has to come forward. Topology is quite different than the right side as there are no real overlapping forms to assist with the distance transition by making each level just a little sharper than the preceding level. I also have to make it consistent with the depth values on the left side. If I do it properly, that little sliver of a river will catch the viewer's attention. By making the foreground sharp and busy with plants and rock formations, the viewer will be drawn into the painting looking down at that river then have eye movement all over the painting. It is the eye movement of the viewer that makes a painting come to life. Everything I do in a painting is done to elicit this element of the viewer's response to the painting.

[CarlOwen]

Well, that didn't work. Almost killed the vibrancy. Had to let the painting talk to me. That worked. I am done for the day. Hope all enjoys this post.

[CarlOwen]

I have finished the north side of the canyon, maybe, and placed the river in. Actually it is only 2 little strips of blue grey. Will now start the south side of the canyon, what you see at the bottom as the foreground. I have five depth planes to deal with in this section. In the drawing stage I thought I had eight depth planes. As the painting developed I discovered I had eight planes north of the river and five south of the river. The sky has four softly merging depths. So four and eight and five is in reality seventeen different visual depths attended to in this painting by varying the intensity and acuity of the colors, fields and the directionality used with the pallet knife.

Still having fun with it and can't wait to see how it turns out.

[fredain2]

Hi, Carl:)

i also look forward to seing it accomplished !

The advantage of being an landscape painter is that you travel through every inch revealing what ordinary contemplers can't see but feel when the whole picture's finished. It's a bit like travelling in another dimension.

That is going to be a supplementary beautiful piece to add in your collection for sure.

I wish you a lot of fun with it and a great weekend, Carl:).

[CarlOwen]

Good morning Alain. Having coffee while going through my websites. Thanks for your comments and knowledgeable perceptive understanding. I am starting to have high hopes for this one. Will be working on it a lot today, I think. I worked on the canyon elements building the forms in two planes just under the river strip and my shins started feeling weak and tingly. You see I have a fear of heights since I almost lost my son in 1979 while visiting Moro Rock in Sequoia National Park. The little four year old had succeeded in hanging on outside the rails when my wife and I were looking at the vista. Moro Rock has a 1,000 foot drop straight down. I calmly got him back behind the rail and once we were back in the parking lot I had an anxiety attack. You know. You do what you have to do in the moment of high stress and after it is all over the emotions flood in. Have had a fear of heights ever since. That sense of depth has started to appear in this painting. I am amazed how just a combination of colors and forms can give such an illusion. We shall see how it goes today.

[fredain2]

Hello again Carl,

I understand that some painful memories that can come back to your mind in the form of mental images, or any physical perceptions such as colors or shapes, must be difficult for you even while doing something you love, all the more since what you experienced was tragic and of intimate concern to you. And the anxiety attack is, by itself, a real vertigo.

Extreme feelings and grief stricken emotions are often the tough price to pay to create a true masterpiece, unfortunately...
It's such a sacrifice that many famous artists have paid through the arts' history.

Take it easy and take care of yourself, carl:)

[CarlOwen]

Thank you Alain. Things have worked out very well for me in this life. I was just amazed at how my creation of imagery could evoke old memories. I could say more, but won't in this forum. I am posting the next update, step 10. This painting is starting to produce it's self. I am now at the stage where I am only observing the "happening". Just love that stage. Could say more, but I don't want to loose my rhythm so to speak.

[CarlOwen]

Hi again. Sorry about the cliff hanger so to speak. I am still trying to mentally see the foreground. The color changes and exchanges within the forms, strike patterns of the pallet knife, What levels of paint overlays, how many overlays, the colors of greens and greys needed for the plants, how many descriptive plants, how many overall fields of plants, and a few other concerns that will lead me into the next conversation with this painting. So, until I get my mental map in place I am not touching this. I do however suspect that I will have it figured out in the next few days. Thanks to all those who have checked in for a view.