“Black Butte Series – Aspen Shadows” 36″ x 48″ oil and wax on canvas – a work in progress
Since I paint a lot of trees and foliage, I’ve found a system that works for me which involves viewing my paintings in several places and in different lighting.
Because most of my paintings are large, it is necessary for me to turn them upside down to work on the top part. When I first started doing this I discovered that several branches weren’t attached to the proper tree trunks. It seems when the painting is right side up, my eye just sees what it expects to see. Since then I have always checked out the limb connections upside down. This has worked well with my florals also, to make sure the stems are attached to the correct flower.
After I feel close to the finish with a painting and view it on different walls in my studio, I bring it into the house and look at it on different walls there as well. My favorite place is over the bed so that I can leave it there for several weeks and see what I may have missed.
More recently I have discovered another viewing to add to my list – a computer image. It is amazing how seeing the painting smaller picks up on points that I don’t see as I’m working on it.
That is why the painting above is a work in progress. I was pretty sure it was finished, but after seeing it on the computer, decided to make several changes. I even discovered a misplaced branch!
