A Problem Solved

I've been away for the past couple of weeks enjoying my bi-monthly visit with my husband in this most crazy of years. The weather in Florida was constant torrential rain and painting my beloved dunes was impossible.
I came back home to this painting, that I thought was finished two weeks ago but still wasn't satisfying me.

I had been studying it trying to figure out why it didn't have the sense of immenseness I felt when I hiked the trail that spectacular day. Somehow the canyon seemed miniaturized. Also, the glowing red rocks which were the inspiration for the painting, had lost their significance.
I thought a cropping might be in order. Look what happens when the sky is cropped out.

Now the walls rise around the viewer as they did in reality and the red rocks and path have prominence again. Here is another cropped option.

It's not quite as radical but I didn't like the shape on the top left. Then I noticed the pale color of the sky just above the rocks on the right and a light bulb went off.  The value of the sky was wrong!  And the bright blue color was competing with the red rocks. Here is the final painting that just barely escaped the knife. I'm happy now. What do you think?

On Kaibab Trail - oil on canvas - 16x20
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Still Quietly Working

It's been two weeks since the end of January's painting challenge. As much as I'd like to adhere to my goal of 3 to 4 paintings a week, family obligations have closed around me again. I've been buried in paperwork rather than paint and brushes. Still, I have 2 paintings nearly completed. This one is from a photo reference in the Grand Canyon. The first photo shows the block in. The second one is two painting sessions later. I thought it was finished but I didn't like the space between the tree and the right hand cliff face. After some more work today, I think it's finished. I'll photograph and post it tomorrow.

From the Back Burner - Day 30 - 30 Paintings in 30 Days

Today's painting is the last one I'll be posting for Leslie Saeta's painting challenge. It's been an amazing and productive month. I met a lot of fellow artists and discovered that I can work faster and looser. I still prefer to work larger but this was such a valuable experience that I'm going to continue making small works along with the larger ones. My new goal is 4 paintings a week and I'll continue posting them, and talking about them.
I'd love to go outdoors to paint but it's been too cold here in New Jersey. The photo I chose to work from is from the Grand Canyon. I was like a crazy woman with the camera so there are many I could have chosen, but I really liked the abstract shapes the canyon rocks made in this photo and their blue and orange colors. I originally had it blocked as a completely abstract design. I could have left it that way but I wanted to see what I could make of it. Hope you like it!

Canyon Rocks - 9x12 - oil on linen panel
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From the Back Burner - Day 29 - 30 Paintings in 30 Days

Among the stacks of photo reference that I've been meaning to get to, are bunches of photos of the Grand Canyon. A quick stop there was part of my cross country trip 3 years ago. Though it was May first, it was snowing as we set up the camper. This was the inaugural trip for the camper. We had gone from summertime heat in Texas to high wind and snow at the Grand Canyon. On the first night in the canyon, it was 28 degrees, and the heater broke. Ah well. What's a trip without a little adventure? It was pretty hard to get out of that nice warm sleeping bag the next morning but I had never seen the Grand Canyon and I was ready to hike! I spent the next day and a half absorbing as much of the incredible scenery as I could.
This is a little painting of trees on the South Rim, a short walk from my campsite.

Trees on the Rim - oil on linen panel - 9x12
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