I started this commission process a while back, which included meeting at the clients’ home, and seeing the view that was to be painted. The great part of this was that I could even see where the painting would hang. That allowed us to come up with a grasp of the dimensions the piece would need to be in order to fit the space. 20x60” was what we came up with, and its a great dimension for the type of view we are trying to capture.
Next we went to the location to be captured, and what an awesome view over the marsh! I took a copious amount of pictures, and tried to get a good feel of the view. It was a chilly winter day, the water deep blue-grey and sky a clear cerulean. The marsh grass, a muted grey. We talked and I soaked in the view.
Here is where the work begins. The painting needs to show the view as it would be seen in the warm breezes of Summer. So, armed with my photos, and the conversations we had about the ideas for the painting, I headed back to the studio and began to think about it all.
I came up with a sketch based on the pictures I took, and my memories and sketches of what summer looks like around this waterway. Luckily, I do a lot of painting and sketching around there, and so can use those to aid in what the colors and conditions could be. Everything is different. Water color, atmosphere, marsh grass color. This landscape in Summer exudes an entirely different color palette than what we are presented with on a January Winter day!
Once I got the sketch done, I could then use boards to crop down to the correct proportion. I cropped one as a higher horizon with more water, and a second as more of a sky painting.
We ended up choosing the higher horizon and showing more water. I will begin the painting next, and now need to determine more firmly the color world of the painting with its summer colors. I’ll post more as I get rolling on this exciting project!