Block in for Evening Stroll

small study for Evening Stroll

Evening Stroll

It has  been a while since I posted! Did a painting that did not work out and I worked and worked trying to fix it-I should just have moved on. My recent painting, Evening Stroll is I think more successful. Another Plaza scene in the rain. I was drawn to the asymmetry of the composition.
A note about the process. While I have done extensive plein air painting, I now work from photographs that I take-I usually have a camera with me. I think everyone needs experience in working in the landscape-an experienced plein air painter can make adjustments to photographs. Photos tend to flatten the scene and exaggerate contrast. I just have no desire to stand on a street corner and paint. Light can change in seconds, so I prefer to take a photo of the scene and make something that works-I also tend to paint out of my windows-but even that I usually take a photo for information.
I sometimes use a graph to quickly lay it in-why? Because it is very fast. I can block in the composition is half an hour-do I use this as a crutch? No-I have already have studied the photo and pared in down to what I think will work; the trick is to move on from the photo-but that is true in working outdoors-the important thing-have a passion for what a painter does-I have that passion with cityscapes. I did an 8"x10" study before I did a much larger painting, 20"x24". Again this is another aid that lets me plan my composition. Now I will put this painting way for awhile and then bring it out and see if there are corrections that need to be made.

A very busy fall. I recently completed a new painting of the Plaza Lights in Kansas City. I have done variations of this scene several times, changing the horizon line, varying the windows on the lower right side and of particular interest, the street with lighting from the cars. I remember Monet's series of Rouen Cathedral. It is true that there are new things to learn, when returning to a familar scene.

If there is interest in any of the prints of the paintings, especially the Red Umbrella, please E-mail me at harrietbigham@yahoo.com.

I haven't been idle this summer; I am just working much larger to prepare for an exhibit in October. The painting, Twilight, is one of two large paintings that I have completed. It measures 30"x40". I have done this scene several times, and yes, it is really that intense . I contrasted the sky with the buildings in the forground. This used to be the Main Post Office, but now the IRS is there, together with the other buildings. There is no symbolism. The view is from our west window, and just wanted to try it again.

Outward Bound

Often, I am asked  if my paintings are done plein air. While I have  painted at various times in the past in plein air, (Arizona, Savannah, Europe, and locally) I now have little interest in working in the environment. Most of my paintings are done from photos that I take. After moving to a urban area, I have a passion to record what I experience, with the scene often lasting a few seconds. My process? Record the image, download to my computer and then start adjusting the composition-I am constantly trying to move beyond my photo-Outward bound is an example-I started with the red car-decided yellow would be better, and adjusted the color of Union Station. After developing the painting, I decided to add the two figures between the cars-I think this improves the composition. I am satisfied? I am never completely satisfied. I don’t think painting is easy and am constantly working to improve. If it were easy, I would be bored.