{"id":389,"date":"2026-07-16T05:42:59","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T05:42:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mfrancismccarthy.art\/?p=389"},"modified":"2026-07-16T05:43:00","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T05:43:00","slug":"rivers-edge-7x12-live-painting-session","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mfrancismccarthy.art\/?p=389","title":{"rendered":"Rivers Edge 7&#215;12 \u2013 Live Painting Session!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"video-container\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The making of River&amp;apos;s Edge 7x12 Live!\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/A92Fzt4xSmo?feature=oembed&#038;wmode=opaque\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Transcript and Key Insights<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Good morning, evening, or afternoon. It&#8217;s your painter in residence, Michael Francis McCarthy. And I\u2019m going to be painting an all-in-a-row scene with some strategies for alleviating that. It&#8217;s a pond scene with trees, blue sky, give or take.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The reference photo has been tinted yellowish, but it\u2019s unabashedly green. Although I\u2019ve done things to balance that, this is pretty much going to be a green painting. Green painting, blue sky\u2014yellow grass in the distance. This image was made from something; I don\u2019t remember what the original was. It&#8217;s been sitting in a folder for about three and a half years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Today\u2019s Monday, usually my easel talks are on Sunday. But since it\u2019s your day, I come in just to talk for a bit. We did that. This is our underpainting color\u2014mostly Burnt Umber with a little Mars Black and some other colors. I want to go slightly lower than the reference here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"597\" src=\"https:\/\/mfrancismccarthy.art\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Rivers-Edge-7x12-1-1024x597.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-392\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mfrancismccarthy.art\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Rivers-Edge-7x12-1-1024x597.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/mfrancismccarthy.art\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Rivers-Edge-7x12-1-300x175.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mfrancismccarthy.art\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Rivers-Edge-7x12-1-768x447.jpg 768w, https:\/\/mfrancismccarthy.art\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Rivers-Edge-7x12-1-1536x895.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/mfrancismccarthy.art\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Rivers-Edge-7x12-1-2048x1193.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Rivers Edge 7&#215;12<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I don\u2019t enjoy the shapes of the trees; they\u2019re not refined, but I\u2019m trusting my instincts as a painter to make something great. It has an ennessy feel, and that\u2019s really what I\u2019d like to do today. Also, I was looking at a painting on the wall behind me with a convexity issue. Don\u2019t do convex\u2014always go concave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Reflections on Painting Techniques<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I\u2019ve been watching some videos by Jakedontdraw on YouTube. He does it well. The plumb line is brilliant, and I use my M. Francis grid. Now I\u2019m moving this tree trunk over from where it is in the reference because I want to establish shapes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I don\u2019t love the shapes here, so I\u2019m doing my own thing. That\u2019s not too bad. Also, we can work with the negative space, introducing positive shapes. Don\u2019t think you have to solve every problem all at once. A lot of your problem-solving is done by intuition and subconscious processes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Color Mixing Session<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This color looks really good, and I almost didn&#8217;t do a seven-by-12 today because it could crash and burn. But I got a good feeling about it. So I crashed and burned with one painting but communicated what went down in others. This is a seven-by-12 and an old failure scene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I worked on this composite reference yesterday, and I wanted to paint it. Seven by 12 might be bad news, but I\u2019m not going to be afraid. I\u2019ve had successes with the size, so far it\u2019s looking nice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Painting Process<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now we have a darker tree, which is one of the things that makes this attractive. There\u2019s no trunk there, and we\u2019re watching how these intervals look okay, right? But we need to be careful about the pattern we set up, and I do want a trunk. Nothing\u2019s in stone at this point, but I\u2019m happy with this brush.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There is no trunk. I was getting a lot of oil in the paint there. Sometimes if you don\u2019t like what\u2019s in the reference, you look to change things, but obviously, you might get that loss feeling. Loss feeling&#8217;s okay; just keep painting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Challenges and Adjustments<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I\u2019ve had successes and failures. Some parts are more challenging than others. This is a bit of a challenge, and these trees feel similar weight-wise, but I think we\u2019re okay. Not bad clipping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This brush has been doing a good job, though I\u2019m trying to be gentle with it. There\u2019s no trunk, and I have to say this brush is working well. The intervals are the same, so we don\u2019t want that. Now this tree is lighter, even though I used the grid, but I\u2019m not cleaving to the reference 100%. Most references do have problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Reflections on Artistic Process<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I don\u2019t use those big capital-letter words AI because algorithms seize on them. It\u2019s a human process, and you may use some contrivances like the plumb line. That&#8217;s okay; let&#8217;s embrace it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This color looks really good, and I almost didn&#8217;t do the seven-by-12 today. It could have crashed and burned, but I got a good feeling about it. So I did crash and burn. One painting was bad news, but then another turned out great.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Final Adjustments<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I worked on this composite reference yesterday, and I wanted to paint it. Seven by 12 might be problematic, but I&#8217;m not going to be afraid. I&#8217;ve had successes with the size so far, and it&#8217;s looking nice. Now we have a darker tree which makes this attractive. There is no trunk in the original.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We need careful intervals, and I want a trunk. Of course, nothing\u2019s set in stone yet, but I\u2019m happy with this brush. It\u2019s doing well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is not the horizon; it\u2019s just my center line. I need to get out of here. This has high-quality paper towels that throw little bits down. Here&#8217;s the real horizon line. We have a connecting bit there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We need a smaller mass there, and in the reference, it throws behind and then lighter on top. But we\u2019re going to make it relate. Think about darks and lights, like yin and yang. I\u2019m happy with that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Concluding Remarks<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before we go back, start working on our shore. It\u2019s grasses right up to the pond. I see that this is not the horizon line; it\u2019s just my center line. This isn\u2019t helpful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The horizon line could be a problem, but we\u2019re going to fix it. It&#8217;s not just one trunk, but two. Some of this can be vague back there. We need to reckon with all-in-a-row challenges and keep painting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Too much oil here. A light tree over dark is always challenging. This will involve highlights. I like when it\u2019s completely dark, trying to add highlights in there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We don\u2019t have that many good paintings, but you can still tank out. Let&#8217;s solve this. It\u2019s not just one trunk but two. Some of this can be vague back there. We need to reckon with all-in-a-row challenges and keep painting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This tree needs an interesting shape as we\u2019re close to finishing the drawing. A light tree over a dark background is always challenging, and I like it when it&#8217;s completely dark with highlights in there. This will involve some overlap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Just a little bit left to do on the drawing. I\u2019m really pleased with this brush. The job it\u2019s doing is excellent. You can leave; this chair doesn\u2019t have arms but leans back perfectly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Final Thoughts<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I&#8217;m almost trying to get better at painting reflections, mixing vertical and horizontal strokes while avoiding diagonal ones. It&#8217;s definitely something you want to achieve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This reference looks good, a bit abstract. I make that dark to add light-colored grasses in the corner. That\u2019s an anchor. We need it for all-in-a-row challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thank you for joining me today. I\u2019m pretty happy with how things are going so far. See you later!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/mfrancismccarthy.art\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Mike&#8217;s New Site<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/mfrancismccarthy.substack.com\/subscribe\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Substack<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.landscapepainter.co.nz\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Painting Website<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.landscapepainter.co.nz\/mailing-list\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Mailing List<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.landscapepainter.co.nz\/products\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Store<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/abyssm.bandcamp.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">My Music<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.landscapepainter.co.nz\/donate\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Support<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCS6NSbrJaICWu2Oztt_PXeA\/join\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Members Area<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>M Francis McCarthy, Your Painter in Residence<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Transcript and Key Insights Good morning, evening, or afternoon. It&#8217;s your painter in residence, Michael Francis McCarthy. And I\u2019m going to be painting an all-in-a-row scene with some strategies for alleviating that. It&#8217;s a pond scene with trees, blue sky, give or take.&#46;&#46;&#46;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":390,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-389","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-painting","rsfv-has-video"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mfrancismccarthy.art\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/389","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mfrancismccarthy.art\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mfrancismccarthy.art\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mfrancismccarthy.art\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mfrancismccarthy.art\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=389"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mfrancismccarthy.art\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/389\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":393,"href":"https:\/\/mfrancismccarthy.art\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/389\/revisions\/393"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mfrancismccarthy.art\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/390"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mfrancismccarthy.art\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=389"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mfrancismccarthy.art\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=389"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mfrancismccarthy.art\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=389"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}