Monday, February 6, 2012

Landscape # 5 after Kevin MacPherson


12 inch X 16 inch oil on stretched canvas

Another landscape in my quest to paint my way through Kevin MacPerson's book.  This is the first time I have attempted to paint animals.    I worked on this in my weekly class, and for awhile there was a lot of hilarity about the little gray lumps in the foreground.  I put shapes in there, but I didn't try to make them look like sheep until the last day of painting.    There was lots of guessing as to what they would be.

Carol Marine made a comment one day in class that when she was first starting out, even when she didn't think a painting was a success,  she'd try to find maybe one thing that she did like about it.  That would keep her encouraged.  I'm trying to adopt that attitude, so that I don't get totally discouraged.  So....what I like about this painting are the mesquite trees on the right.

However, I find every one of these a great learning experience.  Thanks for visiting!




10 comments:

  1. Oh boy, this is very good...move over MacPerson...here comes Virginia!

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  2. I like the sheep. Nice light on them, and good posture that look like sheep grazing. I like the landscape.

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  3. It looks lovely Virginia. :) I think the sheep look like perfect little sheeps. And that is a fantastic comment Carol made. Will have to remember that.

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  4. Lovely light in this! Especially the light on the backs of the "little gray lumps!" I've tried to Send a Message through your profile but google kept asking me to sign in, then wouldn't let me send. After 5 tries, I'm giving up! I'm fine and painting but not getting anywhere lately. Thanks for noticing JMahorney's blogpost—I visited after he left a very generous comment on "Two Oranges" and saw he posted it! Made my week! Sorry to be plugging myself in your comments space, but that Send a Message link didn't work! Loved following your progress with CM's workshop!

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  5. Beautiful Virginia! There is so much to be learned in the doing and the listening.

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  6. Incredibly realistic, Virginia! Perfect lighting on these beautiful sheep!! Love it.!

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  7. Lovely painting Virginia. We all learn so much from other artists.

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  8. This is so lovely! I love all the individual elements (trees, sheep, etc) - but I think it is the overall feeling I get from this painting that I love the most. One of Bach's musical pieces, Sheep May Safely Graze immediately came to mind, it fits perfectly!

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  9. Wise words and you have been so persistent with the the Kevin M studies which I truly admire. This worked out really well and your clear color and sense of light are wonderful.

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  10. I'm impressed with what you have painted based on the Kevin Macpherson book! It is so much harder to apply what you learn from a book than from what you can learn in person.

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