I don't know art, but I know what I like...

Week Twenty-Six:Paint a Landscape

I was naturally inclined to pursue art during school since I was always the artistic and creative type. These classes allowed me to practice a wide range of styles and methods and though drawing has long been my favorite medium, I enjoyed experimenting with various others. Among these methods, painting always stood out as a particularly fun activity. Aside from the natural thrill involved in creating art, it’s fun to lose yourself in the process while really making a mess. However, due to the lack of available materials I’ve never actually taken the opportunity to practice it outside of art class.

Unfortunately, despite a reoccurring desire to get back into painting, I haven’t touched a brush since high school. In fact, after articulating this aspiration several years ago, Jackie surprised me with a beginner’s paint set just to get me started again. However, in keeping with my most popular theme, painting was merely added to the long list of things I want to try but never take the time for. Therefore, once again, 52to30 becomes the impetus for me to do away with the excuses and procrastination in favor of giving it a try.

For this endeavor, I was specifically inclined to paint a scenic landscape due to my personal appreciation for nature and all its glory. Even when I was painting regularly in high school this is one subject matter I never really attempted. Instead, per the assigned task, most of my time was spent creating still life and expressionist pieces along with the random second-rate reproduction of album covers (naturally).

However, despite my own admiration of nature, I never had the opportunity to recreate is scenic wonder on canvas. Quite frankly, despite being a fan of art, I actually prefer to view photographs of such vistas. As impressive as these realistic depictions can be artistically I always figure, “why not look at the real thing?”

This opinion was altered, however, when I was introduced to the work of renowned local artist Charles Burchfield. Much of Burchfield’s work is nature themed but it’s more expressionist than realistic and this really appealed to me. I love the way he depicts scenic views through a more creative and personal style, reflecting his emotion and attachment on the landscape.

However, at the risk of turning this into an art lecture, I’ll stop pretending to know what I’m talking about and simply say I’m a big fan. Therefore, I decided to emulate Burchfield’s style (with much less talent, of course). Not only will this make the piece more personal to me but it will also take off the pressure of trying to paint a realistically accurate scene. It’s a win-win situation.

Setting out on this adventure, my first mission was to decide on my subject matter. Ideally, painting a landscape would require me to actually be outside, in front of the scene I’m trying to create. However, with a decade of inactivity and more than a little self-consciousness I decided to start by working from a photograph of the chosen setting. Eventually, I’ll work my way up to that point but I’m taking baby steps here.

After taking pictures of several possible landscapes I finally decided to choose a road near my work that cuts through a heavily wooded area. The road quickly disappears into the horizon and I thought it perfectly fit several themes I enjoy. Not only was it very naturally appealing with many thick, vibrant trees but I also like the image of the road as it symbolizes various appealing themes - from the desire for travel to the overall journey of life with all its uncertainties. (Do I sound like an artist yet?)

Next, I had to dig out the art set that Jackie bought me to ensure it was still usable. Thankfully, everything was in order even though the set itself was rather basic – it is a beginner’s set after all. There were six tubes of paint, mostly blues and yellows, which would require a lot of mixing to create the colors I need (many shades of green) and several pieces of watercolor paper, about 6x9 inches. Also, there were only two brushes and they weren’t the greatest quality. Again, I don’t claim to be Picasso but I’m experienced enough to know the difference. That said, however, I’m hardly such a demanding artist that I can’t work with what’s available.

In preparation for my painting I decided to peruse the instruction manual that was included in the set as a quick refresher. Also, I went online to check out some of Burchfield’s work for some influence and inspiration (even if you’re not trying to imitate his style I highly recommend giving him a look yourself). My next step was to actually sit down with the picture and canvas to sketch out a basic guideline for my painting. Nothing too detailed just a few contour lines and reference points to keep it balanced before putting any paint down.

I then started mixing up a few different shades of green as I knew it would be the dominant color in this piece. Once I had what I was looking for I started to fill in the scene with the appropriate colors and contrast. I used brighter greens for the right side of the scene and the grass as that’s where the sun was shining. Next I added some darker green to outline the trees and provide depth along various edges, repeating this step with each darker shade.

Although I was discouraged for a time during this process, I continued what I was doing confident in my original plan. Thankfully, this confidence paid off and the trees turned out with a rather nice range of depth and color. They’re not terribly realistic but they’re fun and that’s really what I was aiming for anyway.

Next, after diluting a small amount of blue paint with plenty of water I took to the sky. Leaving out only the areas taken up by clouds was challenging but by this point I had grown very comfortable with my small brush, gliding along their sweeping edges. Keeping the sky an even tone of blue was also difficult but I managed that with relative success as well.

Overall, I’m very satisfied with how my first landscape painting turned out. It’s far from perfect but it’s a fun combination of cartoonish scenery done through a blend of pleasant blues and greens, all of which I love. Also, I’m pleased with the relative accuracy achieved between picture and painting but what’s most important to me is that I can look at it and feel happy. It successfully conveys everything I was aiming for from the warmth of nature to that whole road analogy I broke down earlier.

While I’m not quite ready to quit my job, rent a loft and make painting my life’s work I really enjoyed getting back into the process. I hope to make it a regular hobby in the future and though I realize I could use more practice, as long as I’m having fun I’ll keep trying. For now, I’ll continue with the Burchfield-esque landscape scenes but if there’s ever a market for substandard recreations of album covers, I’m all over it.