Friday, July 24, 2015

Four Seasons - Four Works in Progress

It is a bright, sunny day and the temperature was 80F (26.7C) and the humidity has returned making it feel like 85F (29.4C).

I thought today would be a good day to work on the Four Season paintings I had started last year (see posts on 07 July 2012, 18 July 2013 and 14 July 2014).














Spring Forest 3

I put in the tree trunks on the horizon line using French ultramarine blue and burnt sienna.

Next using a pale mixture of Antwerp blue and raw sienna, I painted in the leaves on the background trees and washed in the grass.

Then adding a small amount of French ultramarine blue to the green I put in the low bushes and shrubs at the base of the distant trees and the grasses at the bottom of the main tree and then set the painting aside to dry.














Summer Forest 3

Using various mixtures of French ultramarine blue and burnt sienna, I painted in the tree trunks.

I kept the more detailed darker trees in the foreground and made them less detailed and paler as they went further back.

I set it aside to dry and started on the next painting.














Autumn Forest 3

Using raw sienna I put in the far background; then gradually adding burnt sienna did the under the paint for the middle and foreground.

With French ultramarine blue and burnt sienna going from lighter coloured indistinct tree trunks in the background to darker and more defined trees as they appear closer into the middle and foreground. 

For the grasses and growies in the middle and foreground I used various mixtures of French ultramarine blue, burnt sienna, raw sienna and alizarin crimson.













Winter Forest 3

Once again using French ultramarine blue and burnt sienna I painted the background and middle area trees.

Next I used a pale mix of raw sienna and burnt sienna for some of the leaves that insist on hanging onto the branches through the winter.

With cobalt blue I painted in the shadows cast by the trees and set the painting aside to dry.

I will post each of these paintings at a later date as more work is completed on each painting.