Aspens

Aspens 2x4 feet. Acrylic on canvas

I've seen lots of Aspen paintings. They're a tree people seem to like, especially out west. Fall colors in Montana are somewhat limited given the dominance of conifers. The best chemical adventure I can think of is that of experiencing art directly and making art from observation, and I include observing photographs as a species of direct observation, if not a step removed. Whatever. It's ok to take pictures and paint from them. Most of my landscapes are made after the fact. 

I originally planned to paint this picture with quick drying Alkyd oil paints. Alkyd is a kind of resin that's dry to the touch in a day or two, contrasted with two or so weeks with traditional oils. I ended up using Acrylic on this picture because the Alkyds were no longer available. Many of the paintings on my "painting page" are done in Alkyd Oils.

I planned for this to not just be another predictable Aspen picture. So I went to great lengths to make the grass as interesting as the foliage. Larger marks in the foreground "bring that section forward" and thinner smaller brush strokes "push" sections back in space. I used many layers of marks on the grass and tree leaves to replicate the deep dimensionality and thickness of the plant word. 

There are different ways to communicate distance and scale. One (mentioned in Leonardo's notebooks) is to simulate atmosphere. Distant objects are more obscured by the thickness of the air between them and us. Additionally, distant objects are more blue. Just look at distant forests on mountains. Atmosphere reflects blue light. It isn't without color. Air settles more thickly at the base of mountains so one can use blue or white glazes to make something look far way.

Using different sized marks is another method of suggesting distance. Also one can treat the subject in a more granular or less resolved way. In other words, paint to obscure details. Make the areas "fuzzier" and they'll seem farther away. Painting involves illusion, and a good painting of a landscape keeps you involved in imagining different areas of the painting recede or advance.

I used white paint to bring the viewers eye down from the top middle left of the painting to a resting point about a third of the way up and to the right of center. It was in this area that I used just about the only white marks found in the grass. This was the sunniest part of the scene, where the sun came through the trees above. One of the last details I added, was the addition of a few emerald green strokes to represent some falling leaves. 

I haven't painted anything worth while in some time, So this picture makes me happy.