Monday, February 05, 2007

Landscape Commission WIP

Today I started work on a landscape that I have been commissioned to do. The place is an island in Northern Canada, and specifically a particular rock and tree on that island, that has deep meaning to an individual that I know. The plaques visable on the rock are tributes to this person's grandparents, whose ashes were scattered there. I love the wildness of the place, especially the way the trees grow; they are so windblown but somehow resilient enough to cling to the rocks and root themselves in this unforgiving environment.

I only blocked in the painting and worked a few hours on it today, but I had forgotten how much I like the result when I do an underpainting in complementary colors. I think the key here will be to give an impression of the wildness of the environment, without overworking it. We'll see how it ends up! I plan to finish it this week.

4 comments:

Lori McNamara said...

I like this one as it is, I love the abstractness, but you can still see what the subject is, if it were mine, I would show the people you are painting it for and see how they feel. Or keep this one and make a more "finished" one for them. Lori

Anonymous said...

Wow, this is really nice! I wouldn't touch it again... it's fabulous exactly how it is! Love it love it love it!
Helen

Takeyce said...

This is beautiful, Rhonda.
Are you working on a toned paper? I love the colors coming through - it gives the painting a nice shimmer effect.

Mary Sheehan Winn said...

Funny, these trees remind me of where we vacation in Nova Scotia. Huge red cliffs with birch and pine just clinging to them. Beautiful!