The Painting Journey of the Texas Red Horse Trailer

Stage Nine: 

See more details: small orange flowers across the bottom of the watercolor and roof support structure on the left side the roof – thin lines. Most often, “I paint what I see, not what I think it might be. Paint what is there.” This is how life and character is created be it an old barn or the individual personality in a dog portrait.

Yes, there are times to use artistic license. In this painting, the barn was pulled a little to the left so the pike of the top roof line would show to the left of the foreground post to add interest to the painting.

This painting is done. Would like to believe you learned at least one new element about art, my art, during the past nine stages of this painting.

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Thanks for joining me on my journey through a maze.

Mary Dove

Bye for now.

The Painting Journey of the Texas Red Horse Trailer

Stage Eight: 

Some of the final touches to the painting: the dormant bush on the left of the foreground fence post was extended higher to tie together the foreground with the distant background. The foreground grass in shadow was darkened and defined. Twigs were added to the shadow on the right side and additional twigs were also added to this area.

Based on the detail image from Stage Seven, you can now notice the lower fence wire attached to the post.

Backlit white flowers were worked on – think I’m satisfied with my objective for doing this painting. These white flowers can now hold their own in balance with the barn and red horse trailer.

The last element in my landscape paintings will always be the birds.

The white marks at the very bottom of the paper are staple marks which will be painted out.

Thanks for joining me on another day’s journey through my maze.

Mary Dove

Bye for now. See you Friday evening with the final framed watercolor.

The Painting Journey of the Texas Red Horse Trailer

Stage Seven:

Here is a series of close-up detail images.

You see a finished foreground post with reflected light on the right side and bright sun on the left side. The barbed wire attached to the post; relationship of the post to the barn and the clouds.

The dormant bush to the right of the post has been extended to show in front of the red trailer and barn; tying these two shapes together with the foreground.

See the red trailer’s shadow along with the mid-ground fence post shadows. Close-up view of the dormant bush extended over the horse trailer and the lower barn entrance. 

See the highlights on the posts in the mid ground in front of the barn; lighter fence post crossing the darker area of the lower barn door.

There is bird in the field on the far right. 

Remember this is a half sheet watercolor, 22 x 15”

Now you can see the detail in the center barn door; the little bite of red in the hayloft and the dash of red next to the left side of the barn under the lean- to. 

Cracks on the metal barn roof were darkened; some of the cracks in the barn wood were darken. You see how the dormant bush in the foreground crosses over the red trailer and the dark area of the lower barn door.

Here is a better understanding of the how the barbed wire was designed and painted.

Thanks for joining me on another day’s journey through my maze.

Mary Dove

Bye for now. See you Wednesday evening.

   

The Painting Journey of the Texas Red Horse Trailer

Stage Six:

More methodical work on: the post, start to bring the colors into balance to create the post shadows, reflected light on the right side of the post and the backlit highlight of on the left edge of the post; pushed the color of the shadow grasses in the foreground and kept refining the white flowers. 

Got a little busy; forgot to take photos which is the reason for the jump between these two images. The clouds were used to create more depth; pushes the sky behind the barn; anchors the barn in the middle ground of the painting. Little more work on the rock wall.

The fence post received the dressing of upper and lower fencing wire. Fencing wire was added to the fence posts near the barn. Middle ground stone wall was touched up. The Red Trail was seated into the grass with its shadow; another wash of red color applied to the trailer. Wheel of the trailer touched up a little now that this the shadow area is added.

The dormant plants, on either side of the foreground fence post, were made more dense and taller to connect the different planes of the painting. It is always wonderful when you can paint a lighter foreground plant over a darker background area such as the lower level barn door. Foreground shadow grasses were darkened; random color was added to this area for interest. The original challenge of this watercolor; the backlit flowers are almost acceptable.

Thanks for joining me on another day’s journey through my maze.

Mary Dove

Bye for now. See you Monday evening.

The Painting Journey of the Texas Red Horse Trailer

Stage Five:

Worked on the fence post with the orange under painting, used blue to create texture and start to suggest the back lite shadow on the post. Still futzing with the white flowers – not happy yet.  Worked on the brown small bush on the left of the post (love to paint dead sticks and weeds; addressed the stone fence in the mid-ground with a little more detail. 

Not sure you can see a touch of red from the trailer in the hayloft, just to the left of fence post; another touch of red just to the left of the barn under the lean-to in the grass. Red was also pulled down into the shadowed grass area in the lower right of the painting.

The image seems small however; this is a 15 x 22, half sheet watercolor paper.

Applied washes over the orange on the post, to knock the color down of the under painting. Added the wood strip to the front of the roof, added the distant fence posts, applied another wash to the red trailer, played more with the white flowers.

As you watch the grass grow, this painting will be finished.

Thanks for joining me on another day’s journey through my maze.

 Mary Dove

Bye for now. See you Saturday evening.

The Painting Journey of the Texas Red Horse Trailer

The process continues. Some days, short period of time are available to paint. Usually, if a few minutes to paint pop-up, advanatage is taken of this precious time which keeps moving a painting forward. Again, areas are being reworded until they feels comfortable. A great deal of “think time” is being used for problem solving when not painting.

Stage Four:

Started to block in the color for the fence post; continue to work on the flowers. The flowers are expressionistic yet very tedious to paint. Focus is always on Value (lights and darks) and expressing the feel of sunlight coming through theses very delicate flowers.

Started to darken the foreground grasses, in shadow, with a little more detail; worked on adding more white flowers. The thought was to accomplish a soft dark centered white flower in partial foreground shadow. 

Thought I was finished with the sky –  I wasn’t; re-applied frisket to the post, top of the barn roof and glazed a few more times to darken the sky. Removed the frisket and started developing the value of the back lit fence post. Saw lots of color in this old post with character.

A little hard to see, work is being done on the inside of the barn. Areas are being darkened and pushed back by adding another layer of darker watercolor the interior of the barn.

Thanks for joining me on another day’s journey through my maze.

Mary Dove

Bye for now. See you Thursday evening.

The Painting Journey of the Texas Red Horse Trailer

The process continues to work through the ugly stage. Because area are reworked sometimes it doesn't seem much progress is being made. Believe me this is one of my daily painting experience. Where is the progress today?

Stage Three:

This image is still working on the sky with additional graded washes. The painting needs to dry between applications. The intent is layers of watercolor to give depth and luminosity to the sky color.

This image begins the fun part of the flowers in the foreground. This is a joke. These flowers are the reason I selected this subject to paint. In the beginning, I know I couldn't get what I wanted to achieve in a straight line. This was my big bear area in this painting. Flowers I've never painted before – white flowers back lit by the sun. 

Frisket is still on the edges and top of the post. The frisket want be removed until I am comfortable with the sky washes. Some of the mid-ground landscape is developed in this painting.

Sky is done, frisket is removed from the post; the value is applied to the fence post wood. The values of the mid-ground landscape is pushed (lights and darks). The rock wall in the mid-ground is developed.And, a long truck of work on the white flowers has begun. You will need to look very carefully to begin to see the start of many changes made to the foreground white flowers.

Thanks for joining me on another day’s journey through my maze.

Mary Dove

Bye for now. See you Tuesday evening. 

The Painting Journey of the Texas Red Horse Trailer

As I stated before, this is the ugly stage of the painting. All paintings start with this ugly stage. This painting floated in the ugly stage longer than most.

Stage Two:

From the last painting several more graded washes were applied to the sky. The frisket is still applied to protect the white paper for the fence post. Frisket was removed from the roof of the barn and the metal roof was painted. The roof is good; I am satisfied with the end results.

When painting the material and texture of the any roof in watercolor, you basically have one shoot at the intended objective or this area of the painting can become and look overworked.

Again, look at the VALUE or contrast between the roof of the barn and the sky. This is all pre-planned and becomes the focus of applying the graded washes. When finished you want to the light area again a darker area of the barn roof. In this case, the plan is working out just fine. 

Bored playing with the sky the distant landscape was introduced. This was great, one shot, one time and I love it. This distant landscape is a keeper.

 Thanks for hanging in on this journey. No one ever said art was easy.

Will post again in two days. Enjoy this progressive journey with me on my Texas Red Horse Trailer.

Mary Dove 

Sedona Artist

Bye for now. See you on Sunday night!

The Painting Journey of the Texas Red Horse Trailer

Stumbled on this structure, in one of my back road trips through Texas, as part of my quest to capture the vanishing landscape. The focus of this composition was the fence post and the way it appeared in front of the barn which created a since of distance. Liked the flowers around the fence post and the way the barn was back light by the sun.

Stage One:

Blocked in the structures, located the landscape; start to set the values (lights and darks) for the watercolor.

The fence post and the roof of the barn were painted with frisket to save the white paper. By doing this I can paint many graded washes (a wash goes from light to dark or dark to light). Because I paint the sky so may time, sometimes  the drawing board is turned upside down in order to grade the wash from light (starting at the proposed vegetation) to a darker sky. Other times I will paint from the darker blue sky down to a lighter sky at the location of the future vegetation.  Later in the painting the vegetation and trees will be painted over the lower, lighter sky in this case.

Skies are always a lot of work. To arrive at the luminosity in my skies they are painted and changed many times through the course of the painting until I can believe what I see in the painting and it feel good.

Most often, I generally use three colors of blue to arrive at my desired sky color. Sometimes it will take 7 or 8 washers to achieve a flat blue graded sky. The sky is completed before the clouds are introduced into the painting.

When I select a subject to paint, the objective is to always create a new challenge – something I've never painted before. This painting challenge was the white, black light flowers in the front – never painted this flower before.

The painting may end up look simple and ordinary; however this was one of my more difficult painting experiences.

Will post every two days in groups of three images. Enjoy this progressive journey with me of my Texas Red Horse Trailer.

Thank you for your interest in and following the Art of Mary Dove

Mary Dove

Bye for now. See you Friday night!

“What should one consider when giving and taking advice for others?”

 A Christmas Day thought from Robert Genn Twice Weekly Letter of December 25, 2012.

There may be a few of you like me want to help and take care of the world. Robert Genn’s Letter struck a strong cord with me about giving advice. I've decided these words of wisdom can’t be too far off base if supported by Louie Armstrong and elders from the BC era. Because of my helpful nature, this will not be an easy change of an old habit.

PS: "It takes nearly as much ability to know how to profit from good advice as to know how to act for one's self." Francois de La Rochefoucauld

Esoterica: It's a problem. "There are some people that if they don't know, you can't tell them," said Louis Armstrong. No matter how jolly one tends to be, this is depressing, especially when you've made sure your advice is well thought out, tailored, and lovingly rendered. "Many receive advice," said Publilius Syrus (46 BC) "but few profits by it." I quite often use the words of Thomas S. Buechner: "Figure out what you do well and make it better." "Descendamus nostra caminis," said Kjerkius Gennius (36 BC). "By and large we come down our own chimneys."

(Enjoy to links to the above quotes - you may find them of interest)

I’m going for the brass ring. Would any of you like to travel with me on this journey in 2013? We may be happier individuals this time next in 2014. The trip may be worth the effort. Love to hear your point of view.

Mary Dove

Sedona Artist

Happy New You to One and All

"Here's to 2013 - going to be a great year!"