The apple paintings have helped me develop a feeling of volume as well as being perfect for practicing the application of palette-mixed colors to show subtle variations. Sometimes this seems natural, other times I really have to work at it. I like what I am getting and have been surprised at how much I like the more traditional results when I thought my preference would be an impressionistic approach with bold slashes of color. The traditional approach is certainly where my interest lies now.
Yesterday, I left home early to meet a friend in OKC for breakfast and then to take the three-hour round-trip boat tour on the newly designated Oklahoma River. This is part of a long-term development project in the city that has been very successful and it is a delight to see people plying sculls and kayaks down the river. Even more delightful was seeing herons, including blue herons. They are one of my favorite birds and I hope to paint some from the photos I got.
The issue of painting from life and painting from photos is an on-going question for me. I have usually painted from photos, many of them, taken long ago, cannot be duplicated. Making still life paintings has certainly shown me the great advantage of that approach but I also know I shall continue painting from photographs. The real challenge will be to incorporate the informaiton and skills from life into scenes captured by the camera with its limitations.
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