Posts Tagged ‘Landscape painting’

Zagreb Nocturnes

Posted in Landscape on January 24th, 2013 by Marc – 13 Comments

Since the days are so short here in Zagreb (and I’m losing my mornings to language classes), I’ve been trying my hand at plein air nocturnes lately.

Gupceva Zvijezda Zagreb Nocturnes

The Bar at Zvijezda (2011). 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.

Last winter I tried one nocturne of the small bar around the corner from my house. The idea was to sketch the composition in pencil and then begin the lay-in on site. However, for the bulk of the work, I had the painting upstairs in my studio and in the evenings (when I would walk the dog around the neighborhood) I would stop and try to memorized the view and then run back upstairs and paint from memory. It was like sight-sizing from a block away. The idea was based on the quote by Degas about memory drawing:

“If I were to open an academy I would have a five-story building. The model would pose on the ground floor with the first-year students. The most advanced students would work on the fifth floor.”

This year I’m more prepared. These new clip-on LED lights work very well, and have a much cooler light than the ones you could buy, years ago, when I last tried plein air landscape painting at night. The brand I’m using is Mighty Bright from Santa Barbara, CA and I have the two pronged ones they make for orchestra conductors. (Edit: As Jerry Campbell commented, these lights can be slightly blue. I also found myself compensating to knock down the oranges. Pushing the light right up to the canvas warms it up a bit, but if anyone one has a suggestion for a more neutral plein-air-at-night lighting solution, I’d love to hear it).

mightybright Zagreb Nocturnes

My set-up for nocturnes.

A second set of lights would be great as I don’t get enough light consistently across the panels and have to move the light to where I’m working.

Painting in the snow at night can be really cold. I wrote a post last winter on keeping warm, which you can read here.

nocturne Zagreb Nocturnes

Zagreb Cathedral Nocturne #1. 35 x 25 cm, oil on panel.

cathedral Zagreb Nocturnes

Zagreb Cathedral Nocturne #2. 30 x 20, oil on panel (unfinished).

kolovdor Zagreb Nocturnes

The Central Train Station at Night. 25 x 35 cm, oil on panel.

More to come. In the meantime, here are a couple more from the heavy snows we’ve had this month in Zagreb.

britanski Zagreb Nocturnes

Winter, Britanski Trg. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.

mirogoj Zagreb Nocturnes

Mirogoj in the Snow. 30 x 40 cm, oil on panel.

Bordeaux and Chianti Sketches

Posted in Landscape on September 28th, 2012 by Marc – 6 Comments

Here are some of the sketches from the last month. We stayed in the little village of Pujols near St-Emilion (Bordeaux) in France, and then in Chianti near Tavarnelle val di Pesa.

My liver will need some time to recover.

haybales2 408x600 Bordeaux and Chianti Sketches

Haybales near Pujols. 30 x 20 cm, oil on panel.

The Dordogne is especially interesting to paint as it is unusual to have tidal effects so far inland.

dordogne Bordeaux and Chianti Sketches

Boats on the Dordogne. 23 x 35 cm, oil on panel.

dordogne2 Bordeaux and Chianti Sketches

The Dordogne at Castilion-le-Bataille. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.

petanque Bordeaux and Chianti Sketches

Petanque. 30 x 40 cm, oil on panel.

branne 505x600 Bordeaux and Chianti Sketches

Branne. 30 x 25 cm, oil on panel.

st emilion Bordeaux and Chianti Sketches

Gate at Saint-Emilion. 25 x 35 cm, oil on panel.

gensac Bordeaux and Chianti Sketches

Gensac. 25 x 35 cm, oil on panel.

pujols church Bordeaux and Chianti Sketches

Sketches of the Church at Pujols. 20 x 15 (ish) cm each, oil on panel.

We were in Tuscany for the anual Vendemmia, or grape harvest.

vendemmia Bordeaux and Chianti Sketches

La Vendemmia. 25 x 35 cm, oil on panel.

onion patch Bordeaux and Chianti Sketches

La Vendemmia #2. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.

I’ll post the rest of the Chianti series later in the week.

The Dalmatian Coast

Posted in Landscape on August 22nd, 2012 by Marc – 12 Comments
korcula sunset2 The Dalmatian Coast

Sunset on Korcula. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.

Here are a few of the sketches I did the past two weeks in Southern Croatia. The Dalmatian coast is stunningly beautiful. We had beautiful weather, the food and wine are great, and it’s still relatively inexpensive as far as European beach towns in August go.

Sveti Nikola The Dalmatian Coast

Corner at Sveti Nikola, Korcula. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.

Korcula Street 2 397x600 The Dalmatian Coast

Bar in Korcula. 30 x 20 cm, oil on panel.

korcula street 368x600 The Dalmatian Coast

Rampada, Korcula. 35 x 23 cm, oil on linen.

P1190798 428x600 The Dalmatian Coast

Street in Korcula. 35 x 25 cm, oil on linen.

Primosten The Dalmatian Coast

Jet-Ski Rental on Primosten. 18 x 25 cm, oil on panel.

Dubrovnik is especially beautiful, though the crowds in August are not for the faint of heart.

Dubrovnik Cathedral2 395x600 The Dalmatian Coast

The Cathedral from Poljana Boškovića, Dubrovnik. 30 x 20 cm, oil on panel.

lokrum1 425x600 The Dalmatian Coast

Gardens on Lokrum. 35 x 25 cm, oil on panel.

Gundulic Square 396x600 The Dalmatian Coast

Umbrellas in Gundulic Square. 30 x 20 cm, oil on panel.

Church 413x600 The Dalmatian Coast

Church in Dubrovnik. 25 x 17 cm, oil on linen.

Dubrovnik 395x600 The Dalmatian Coast

Street in Dubrovnik. 30 x 20 cm, oil on panel.

There are a few more that still need a lot of work. I’ll post an update when they’re finished.

Painting into, and out of, an Effect

Posted in Landscape, Teaching on August 22nd, 2012 by Marc – 4 Comments
korcula sunset Painting into, and out of, an Effect

Sunset on Korcula. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.

I’ve been painting the fleeting light of Southern Croatia for the last couple of weeks and thinking a lot about painting into, and out of, effects.

Landscape paintings usually depict one moment or effect of light. When painting outside, light effects change the whole time the artist is working. Part of the responsibility of the artist is to decide which of the various positions of the sun and shadows will be in the final image. Furthermore, when it’s the painter’s first time somewhere, it can be difficult to visualize perfectly what will happen with the light over the course of a multi-hour plein air painting session.

For the last few years, the light effect that has most interested me is the high sun at midday. My subjects are also often north-facing, and thus back-lit. It’s usually an easy route to take for plein air painting. The number of hues is greatly reduced and the values and shapes become more important. Though it would seem the opposite, I find it easier to get an effect of sunlight or heat, than working with the sun behind me. Most of my favorite historic plein air works are back-lit (it’s hard to think of a good Corot, for example, that isn’t). Also, the light changes very slowly in the midday hours. I’ve worked for up to six hours straight on a midday painting where the shadows and overall effect didn’t change a great deal.

When I first started painting outdoors, however, I really loved the late evening light. Charles Cecil taught me much of what I know about landscape painting, and his own favorite subject is the orange light of the Tuscan evenings, or ‘Golden Hour’. The problem with late light is that the effect lasts only a few minutes. In order to paint a sunset or sunrise painting, you either have to work for only 15 minutes a day, or paint into the effect. Painting into the effect simply means as the afternoon light turns to the golden evening light, the effect will become more and more what you’re after. (Presuming, of course, that the evening light is the desired effect. If the afternoon light is your subject then you’re painting out of the effect).

The trick to painting into an effect is to work on the drawing until the desired effect is present, and then change the colors and shadow shapes at the end. For painting out of the effect the opposite is true. You start with color notes and the shadow shapes, and then polish the drawing as everything changes.

In the sketch of Korcula at sunset above, you can see the blue around the palm tree from when I did all the drawing with the afternoon light. I then changed the whole color scheme when the sun set. I’ll later polish things up in the studio when the paint dries.

Understanding the mechanics of changing light and how to deal with it is an important part of plein air painting.

July in Zagreb

Posted in Landscape on July 18th, 2012 by Marc – 3 Comments
Brtanski2 July in Zagreb

Sunday Chess Players in Britanski Trg. 25 x 35 cm, oil on linen.

Here a few sketches from this week in Zagreb. I’ve been inside a lot working on commissions, which is a shame since the weather has been beautiful here.

cathedral3 431x600 July in Zagreb

The Cathedral from Kaptol. 35 x 25 cm, oil on panel.

tram1 July in Zagreb

The Tram at Zvijesda. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.

statue 378x600 July in Zagreb

Statue of the Virgin, Zagreb. 30 x 20 cm, oil on panel.

market July in Zagreb

Market Stalls, Zagreb. 20 x 30 cm, oil on linen.

Recent Studio Landscapes

Posted in Landscape on June 13th, 2012 by Marc – 9 Comments

A few studio landscapes from the last six months. Most are enlarged from plein air sketches done over the last couple of years.

bolgheri road Recent Studio Landscapes

The Beach Road at Palone. 90 x 110 cm, oil on linen.

umbria Recent Studio Landscapes

Poggio delle Corti. 90 x 110 cm, oil on linen.

baratti Recent Studio Landscapes

Dawn at Baratti. 70 x 90 cm, oil on linen.

senese Recent Studio Landscapes

Wheat Fields in the Senese. 80 x 100 cm, oil on linen.

la pieve Recent Studio Landscapes

Cemetery at La Pieve. 60 x 80 cm, oil on linen.

volterra Recent Studio Landscapes

Le Balze, Volterra. 90 x 110 cm, oil on linen.

Volterra Sketches

Posted in Landscape on May 21st, 2012 by Marc – 10 Comments
camoldolese Volterra Sketches

Badia Camoldolese #1. 25 x 35 cm, oil on panel.

Here are some of my sketches from our plein air workshop near Volterra. We had good weather for the ten days, even if the wind was problematic at times. I find wind can be harder to work with than rain.

camoldolese21 Volterra Sketches

Badia Camoldolese #2. 30 x 40 cm, oil on panel.

volterra dawn2 Volterra Sketches

The Fortress at Volterra, Dawn. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.

volterra midday Volterra Sketches

The Fortress at Volterra, Midday. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.

baccelli Volterra Sketches

Fragole e Baccelli. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.

poppies Volterra Sketches

Poppies in the Alfalfa. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.

emma Volterra Sketches

Emma Studies. 35 x 25 cm, oil on panel.

era2 Volterra Sketches

The Era. 30 x 20 cm, oil on panel.

P1180055 Volterra Sketches

San Giusto #2, Volterra. 25 x 35 cm, oil on panel.

The Gronsveld Windmill

Posted in Landscape on March 24th, 2012 by Marc – 16 Comments

This is the windmill down the road from where I’m living in Limburg. I thought it would be fun to try one subject with a number of different points of view and weather effects. I’ll be here until June so I’ll have a couple of more seasons too. The tops of the windmills swivel, which confused me at first when I would go back for another shot on a sketch, to find it pointing in a different direction (who knew?).

gronsveld windmill The Gronsveld Windmill

The Gronsveld Windmill #1. 35 x 25, oil on panel.

gronsveld molen2 The Gronsveld Windmill

Gronsveld Windmill #2. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.

read more »

Grey Maastricht Days

Posted in Landscape on March 14th, 2012 by Marc – 2 Comments

A couple of recent sketches from the grey March days we’ve been having lately.

(Always risky painting a leaning building as on this first one):

klein grachtje Grey Maastricht Days

Klein Grachtje, Maastricht. 25 x 35 cm, oil on panel.

jeeker Grey Maastricht Days

The Jeker, Maastricht. 30 x 20 cm, oil on panel.

And a couple from the countryside.

brabant farm Grey Maastricht Days

Brabant Farm. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.

libeek Grey Maastricht Days

Libeek Fields. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.

Limburg Snowscapes

Posted in Landscape on February 17th, 2012 by Marc – 15 Comments

I’m currently living ten minutes outside of Maastricht, Holland in the little hamlet of Libeek in the province of Limburg.

For my first two weeks here the weather has been beautiful blue skies with snow on the ground, but very cold. Almost too cold to paint when the wind was up. I did manage to get a few plein air pieces done before the rain set in.

I used Google Maps for the names (and actually used Street View to scout a bit for the first time) so I hope I got them right.

1130310 Edit Limburg Snowscapes

Op de Vrouweheide, Ubachsberg. 30 x 20 cm, oil on panel.

windmill 426x600 Limburg Snowscapes

Op de Vrouweheide, Ubachsberg (#2). 35 x 25 cm, oil on panel.

1130372 copy Limburg Snowscapes

Van Tienhovenmolen, Wolfshuis. 25 x 35 cm, oil on panel.

I liked the windmills.

1130386 Limburg Snowscapes

Banholt. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.

1130376 Limburg Snowscapes

Shed. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.

1130305 copy Limburg Snowscapes

St. Johns, Maastricht. 30 x 20 cm, oil on panel.

 

11303881 Limburg Snowscapes

The Border at Libeek. 25 x 35 cm, oil on panel.

1130415 Limburg Snowscapes

Snow in Libeek. 25 x 35 cm, oil on panel.

1130411 Limburg Snowscapes

Limburg Farm, February. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.

11304181 Limburg Snowscapes

Libeek Sunset #2. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.

Update: Here are a couple more from the end of the snow.

1130398 Limburg Snowscapes

Snow Melting, Hoogcruts. 25 x 35 cm, oil on panel.

1130402 Limburg Snowscapes

Snow Melting, Banholt. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.

 


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