I just finished my biggest landscape project I have done and so thought showing pictures that explain the process would be interesting.
Not pictured-to get the water-sky line I used painter’s tape. Clouds get painted as soon as the color is largely blocked in as they are in the background and everything else is nearer the viewer.
To paint something this large (60”x20”) I like to have a basic grid to keep things in proportion. I am generally not a fan of the grid method and am happy without it-but at this scale I can’t see the whole painting while I am working. The heavy lines are each 20 inches apart, so I measured it out and realized that is where the 3rd and thickest tree is, which worked out perfectly. This simple grid also allowed me to quickly place the landmass where it needed to be. The 4th tree not being painted was a design decision made with the couple who commissioned it. As much as landscapes change I feel a tree that obscures a view not being painted can be a good choice on occasion. I try to keep everything pretty accurate otherwise, though sort of editing where I want branches to again frame the view rather than block it. Once the land was blocked in and the trees placed there was no grid left on my canvas, so I used the lines placed for trees as a reference for scale.
The ocean was about finished here, so the brown landmass was next.
I first blocked in major shadows before adding the trees on top and the majority of the detail to the rocks.
Here I’ve got the majority of the landmass detailed out and most of the trees there worked out as well. I will finish those trees and the trees in the foreground, doing a once over checking that I am happy with the level of detail all over is last.
The final result! I paint with bolder color than photos, wanting to give the viewer the feeling I felt when I saw it and I feel color best communicates that. When we hiked this trail to take this photo to paint it was Easter and was so sunny and perfect outside. We had jellybeans on an overlook after hiking a few miles and video chatted family back in Iowa who were gathered for Easter lunch. It was a really happy day, I like to think that comes across.
The painting is going in the lobby of Dr Simon Agger’s chiropractic office on NE Burnside in the Trolley Building.