Crop happens
15 08 2008….Or at least sometimes it should. I went down by the river at Great Shiplock Park this morning to paint this little view looking out towards Rocketts Landing:
I had a frustrating morning.
I didn’t finish because I began to have problems with the composition. The canvas panel is a 9×12″, and while there are things I like about it, I’m not too excited about the near equal width of the sky and water framing the skyline, where the real interest is.
I think this was an editing problem. I liked too many things about the scene and I was trying to fit them all in. I liked the hazy sky. I liked the purplish skyline. And I liked the reflections in the water too. I guess it just goes to show how very important it is to put a good deal of thought into the orchestration of a piece before rushing in.
Well, we learn from our mistakes, right? So with a little trickery in Photoshop, I am able to see what a better compositional choice may have looked like:
Well, I can’t exactly glue a new top to this panel. But look what happens when I cut this down to approximately 6×12″:
Better? My kingdom for a table saw.
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Jennifer
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How easy it would have been if it had been canvas taped to board!
I think I like the second one best.
What a beautiful scene and interpretation of the atmosphere and spirit of the place. I’m sure painting away from your studio has special advantages
during your move and packing! Glad you are getting the time in and able to produce another beautiful painting.
Thanks Marilyn,
Yes, the unmounted canvas might have done the trick. This is what I used for my last plein air excursion, though for some reason I tend to have a devil of a time positioning them properly on mounting board afterwards. Had this been done on multimedia artboard (or something similar), cutting it down would have been a cynch. But I think the best option will be to just use this as a study and a learning experience, and have another go at it if I feel strongly enough about the scene. Often, the ‘mistakes’ can be the best learning tools we have.
amen on the mistakes thing. Nice painting either way.
Thanks Rick- I did like the scene. We have a lot of those old fashioned water towers here in Richmond and I plan to paint a few more of them, as they’re such a part of the skyline around here.