Saturday, November 19, 2011

"Elk Lake Reeds" oil on stretched canvas 16 x 20


First a small thumbnail sketch done in pencil on scrap paper (why waste) to work out the composition.

Something bothered me though. After breaking it down to the essential shapes I realised that I had to lose the boathouse because the composition was getting too busy and I was in danger of getting two subjects in one, if you know what I mean.
So I left out the rowing club and painted Elk Lake with the reed shapes alone.
 Much better.

Click on the image to see an enlargement. Your opinion is welcome, is keeping it simple better? Click on the small white envelope below to email me direct. Or click on COMMENTS so that the others can see your thoughts too...the more diverse the opinions, the better.
Thanks

Ron



2 comments:

Keith Campbell said...

Very nice Ron. I like the reeds especially. Just a thought though, sometimes it is hard to picture how a composition will look simply by a pencil sketch. I may have put the boathouse in to see how it looked, you could always paint it out if it doesn't work. Sometimes it is nice to stay true to a scene, especially if it is a reconizable landmark. Why not another painting, in the studio, with the boathouse included. It would be nice to see the two paintings together and see which one worked best??
Anyway, just a thought, but a very successfull painting as is.

Ron Wilson said...

Keith I confess that I DID indeed have the boathouse painted in, and at 16 x 20 it really DID look like two paintings in one. A pity in one way 'cos the rowing club turned out well...however I am more convinced now that the reeds and water stand alone nicely now. Thanks, Buddy!