Saturday Morning
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Saturday Morning is the name of this
painting. Anyone who
lives in a rural area recognizes this scene of cutting firewood.
Men seem to work with an economy of motion, almost as in a ballet.
The frosty morning, old farm truck and woodshed are typical backdrops
for this activity.
For those interested, below I have
outlined the stages of this painting.
Saturday Morning, 38 x 40, oil on
canvas, $3,500 |
| Like many artists, before I create
any major work, I do many sketches, even some oil sketches. At
right you will see an oil on panel sketch, 12 x 16, in which I was
attempting to capture the lim of light on the woodcutter. |
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| I started with a large,
hand-stretched canvas and covered it with several layers of gesso,
sanding each layer before applying the next. I then painted the entire
canvas with a burnt sienna oil wash before sketching my final painting
on it. I like to used a toned canvas because the undertone adds an
overall cohesiveness to the painting. It shines though thin washes
and peeps through areas which would otherwise just show white canvas.
Using toned canvases is a technique as old as the Masters. |
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| As in my watercolor
painting, I try to cover as much canvas surface as possible with oil
washes in the initial stages. Since I'm working from the middle
tone, I put in the darks to "push back" and reserve the lighter colors
to "pull forward." |
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| Here you will see that
I'm adding more color and detail. Again, I work very loosely,
deciding what to emphasize, and what to leave out or deemphasize.
This is why the painter's eye is better than a camera:
discrimination. |
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| This is a detail shot
of the third stage. The light rim is actually the toned canvas
showing through. You will notice how I'm blocking in and firming
up the details. |
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| The final stage of the
painting is putting in the lightest areas and firming up more details.
Here are two close-up shots of details of the finished painting as seen
above. |
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