Remember and Inspire.

Edie's Creek 4" x 12" Oil

Back in October when Fall was almost at peak color, I organized a small group of artists to paint at a friend's ranch.  My favorite scene was the creek and the pristine white fence that bordered it. I was fascinated by the reflections in the water. I paint mostly in my studio, so this was a bit awkward for me. Still, it was a great way to get some fresh air, interact with other artists and loosen up. 

Now that the five month long mural painting blitz is slowing down, there's time to examine some smaller  works and see what I can do to improve. I've discovered that I can use the photo editing tools on my PC to see where I might need work. So here's a little exercise I did with this small painting of the creek using only the simplest Microsoft editing tools.

First, I wanted to check values (light and dark), so I slid the color dial all the way to the left. This removed all color and left only grayscale. As you can see from the image below, all the elements are still recognizable. But I like a little more contrast, so next time I paint that creek I will probably want to deepen the shadows cast by the fence, the tree, and the overhanging grasses at the edge of the creek just a tad.

Next, I wanted to see how my fall colors would look if I bumped the color up. So I slid the color dial to the right and this was the result. It's brighter, but isn't true to the colors I saw that day. I'm a bit conflicted about this. As a painter of realism, accuracy is important. However, I do enjoy bright colors and sometimes we have to give reality a little nudge for the sake of creating the mood we want to convey. I remember that day as a perfectly happy one where friends got to play with paint outdoors in the fragrant fall air before winter set in. So the image below shows what the painting might have looked like if I'd used stronger color mixes.

Finally, I wondered how the painting might look if I reduced the light. Would it deepen the shadows or intensify the color? So I slid the light dial to the left and got both. But although it did intensify the color, it changed the mood considerably. It made it feel like the moment when the sun is brightest before a gathering storm. The killer, though, is the impossibly blue water, which reads a bit fake.

Now of course, when we are presenting work to a collector to view, we always want to offer images that are as close to the original painting as possible. And sometimes the camera doesn't capture it well and we have to edit some...just enough to accurately represent the original. It wouldn't do for someone to think they are buying an intensely bright fall scene and then be disappointed when it arrives. That said, the first image is the most like the original. When I compare the images, it makes me want to paint that creek again, but with stronger shadows and greater color intensity.

Which one do you like best?