ACEO - Tire Swing 1

While going through some small paintings I had started last year (see post on 28 October 2012) I pulled out this piece that was originally called Blue Sky K and I decided to turn it into a late spring landscape.

I lightly sketched in a distant hill with some trees against the sky on the horizon line and then added the trunks of a few trees in the foreground and indicated where posts would be placed for a wire fence.

With a pale mixture of Antwerp blue and raw sienna I under painted in the land from the horizon line down to the foreground.

While this was drying I made a soft grey colour with French ultramarine blue and burnt sienna for the tree trunks and fence posts, then I painted in the lightest parts of the tree and darkened the grey with a little more blue for the shadowed side.














Using various mixtures of French ultramarine blue, Antwerp blue, raw sienna and new gamboge I added grasses and growies at the base of the fence posts and tree trunks. Then using a sponge I put the leaves onto the trees.

With pure burnt sienna I ran the wire fence between the fence posts leaving a small opening where the wire had broken.

After looking at the painting for a little while I decided that it needed a tire swing hanging from one of the branches on the larger tree in the foreground, as though it was waiting for children to return.

If you would like more information about ACEO please go to my post on 11 March 2010.

The ACEO shown here is an original watercolour painting using Artist quality Winsor & Newton paint on 300lb. Arches 100% rag, acid free watercolour paper. It is priced at $20.00 and sold unframed.