Whisper of the Forest 8×12 – Live Painting Session!

Good morning. I did a painting yesterday, not the most terrible thing I’ve ever done, but it wasn’t the easiest struggle either. It was a 7×12 based on a reference from 2022 that I’d painted before on texture board and gave to my bishop. I missed that painting, so I decided to do it again.

When I pulled up the reference, I realized it was off-center. That’s actually one of the things that made the original good. I got it home and thought I liked it, but I wasn’t happy. There were big bars of stuff at the top. It’s maybe savable, but I put it behind for now.

The Problem With Yesterday’s Painting

The structural problems are clear to me now. One of the things making the original work was how the relationships between elements fit together. Yesterday’s version was too balanced, it took on a stationary feel. The composition wasn’t strong enough.

But I learned stuff from failing. You’re going to fail. Even if you’re super experienced like I am, you still fail.

Going for Redemption

This morning, I’m doing this painting again, 8×12, the original proportions. That one inch changes a lot. I decided I’m into redemption today. I can see what I did before and what was good about it.

One of the great things about the original was the interaction of the grey with the other tones. A friend gave me a comment at the time about that grey, it was a good insight from him.

Working on Texture Board vs. Canvas

The last one was done on texture board. One of the things about texture is that it forces you to simplify. You’re constantly fighting it. But the great thing about texture is that you can drag your brush and do things.

Now I’m working on regular canvas, which requires a different technique. I can create more of my own texture with the brush and paint.

The Drawing

I’m using a slightly larger brush for the drawing, definitely not too wide, but this is one of the things I love. It gives me more control. I start with my neutrals and build from there.

One thing I remember about working on texture: it would force me to simplify because of that resistance. What I don’t want is a big wash of stuff at the top, that has an automatic feel. There’s also this bow bit that was an incredibly powerful addition. It’s just sort of intimated in the original reference, but it was a good call.

The Color Strategy

I’m going way more yellow in the sky than I did yesterday. Yesterday things went a little insipid. I have good colors, but too much white in the sky.

For the reds, I’m juicing up cad red, really stepping it down to get a real red that’s dug in but not too bright. That’s very difficult to arrive at without the cad. The key is stepping it down so it’s not bright.

For the greys, I’m earthy them up a little with Mars, just enough to make them fit in. I’m doing less colors overall, a ton of yellow ochre tones, so I’ll do two ochres. One deeper ochre with a little grey in it, and a lighter ochre.

The Brush Work

I’m using a Dallis bristle 4 brush, which is smaller than anyone else’s 4. For the painting, I’m starting with these neutrals and working into the larger shapes first.

When I do the detailed work later, I’ll switch to a smaller brush. The key is not jumping right in with the red, that’s what I did yesterday. I need to build the foundation first.

The loose framework is doing what I need. I’m creating my own texture with the brush and paint, which gives me more control than working on texture board.

The Final Push

The darks are in. I’m moving into the mid-tones and details now, building up the painting carefully. I don’t want to overwork it, it’s doing its job.

At the end, I’ll do some cleaning-up action with a brush, not too hard, just addressing some of the fuel areas to refine the edges without making it soft.

I feel like I got my painting back. It’s similar to the original but a little looser, which I like.

Take care of yourself. Stay out of trouble. And fight the power.

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M Francis McCarthy, Your Painter in Residence