Color Field, 27x27

"Color Field", 27x27" Pastel on sanded board

During this Christmas break of '08 I've had plenty of time to work on a few large pieces that I've been wanting to paint for some time now. The previous post, "Estuary at Dusk" is supposed to be finished, but I still feel that there is something amiss with it. I can feel it--and have set it aside for awhile and will return to it soon....so I guess that means it's really not finished at all!

This new one, is like one of the studies I previously posted back in October. "Color Field" is a scene from my Grandparents farm, looking South. This view reminds me of summer visits to the farm catching grasshoppers, swinging on the hammock, playing in the bales of hay, and setting time away to just think. Knowing me, I'll probably revisit this particular painting before getting it recorded and framed. Once I decide it's finished, it has a special place above my hearth in the family room!
The series of steps are posted below...


First I begin with some sort of color wash. Intense red-orange and some basic blocking-in of color will hopefully give this piece a warm July feeling. This time around I created my own sanded board by mixing Golden Acrylic Ground for Pastels with pure red and orange pigment by Createx. Painted on with a fat brush, and left to dry. The sanded ground has the color wash already established within the grit. Hopefully, this will give it an overall warm feeling.


Establishing shape and values.


Developing the clouds and row of trees.


Shaping the clouds with color, adding some touches of the distant field through the tree-line.


Quieting down now, adding the finishing touches. I guess I'm done!