Hi all

This is a landscape which I've been struggling with on and off for a while - it started off as a late summer landscape but it was too green so I thought I'd turn it into an autumn view instead. It's still not quite coming together and I thought I'd post it here to see if anyone had any thoughts on how I could improve it. I think the composition and background are OK but I haven't got the the texture of the bracken right (the light green strip starting at the bottom left corner) and I think the trees need more work too. It's 20"x16" acrylic on canvas. Let me know what you think!

cheers
Elise

Hi Elise,

Great painting matey. The sky is soooo blue. Summer eh......when was that?

Here's what I reckon for what it's worth.
I don't think the trees/bushes up the top under the hill work for me. I think it would be better balanced without them and just have the dark hill top coming down and turning into the heath/scrubland, but keeping the definate line.

The bracken at the front as you say needs a tweak. It looks fine but adding some more foreshortened branches coming toward the viewer and darkening it up a tad towards the bottom might help.

But, having said that. It's already great, and with it seemingly getting dark just after breakfast these days, stick it on the wall to brighten up winter.

Good skills E

Hi Elise looking good, for me I have a problem with the Mountain I feel it is too dominant and needs to be a bit more subtle to give distance,so you travel to the mountain and not from it if you know what I mean also it needs a litltle contrast maybe a touch of a contrasting colour to tie it all together.

Hi guys, thanks for your comments, it's really helpful to have fresh eyes look at something you've spent too long looking at yourself. Chalky, I have to admit my skies are usually very blue (living in Scotland you sometimes have to imagine...) but even saying that I think I maybe overdid the contrast setting in photoshop before posting, the painting itself is not quite so bright. Now I look at it I agree the trees in the background look a bit blobby and I also think Wendy's right I'll tone down the mountain a bit. It's funny, most paintings I do either work or they don't fairly quickly, but this one seems to be taking me more time but I feel I'd like to persevere with it - I'll post back when I do my revisions!

BTW the scene is of Ben Venue in the Trossachs of central Scotland, taken from the Duke's pass on the way down to Loch Achray. Very beautiful scenery and very accessible too if you're ever up this way.

cheers
Elise

Yes, you need to look at your ariel perspective. That is the effect of tones being more compressed and paler the further away they are. Also more blue. So tones will be more contrasty nearer the viewer and paler and compressed further away. I am sure we have seen this effect when walking in open country.
One thing that does worry me is the streaky sky going across. Skies generally are bluer at the top and paler at the horizon due to the atmospheric haze (See above). This is more easily achieved by painting with oblique or vertical short brush strokes, working down the picture modulating the tone. Take a look at Cezanne landscapes.
However, this is to assume you are after a realistic depiction of what you see. The painting seems to me to be a kind of "magic realist" type of work where everything is in detailed clarity as a stylistic point.
Anyway kep on with the good work!

Hi Dennis, I love the term "magic realist", that would be quite a way to style yourself as a painter! I take your point completely about the background contrast and sky, most of my paintings do follow those principles but for some reason this one seems to be coming out differently (not particularly intentionally I have to add!). I will ponder a while and decide what direction to take it in!
thanks for your comments
cheers
Elise

Hi Elise,

I didn't mean the sky is over blue. I like it as is actually.

Paint on mate

Hi Chalky
That's OK, I like blue skies too!
Cheers
Elise

The only thing I felt was missing was a focal point. My eye's looking for one but instead gazes around and goes to the mountain as a final resting place, but then takes a gaze around again. A guy walking along that lane and my eye would be satisfied and I wouldn't be scrutinising the painting for critisims on technique so much (Sky' fine by me).

Hi guys
Well I left this one for rather a long time but decided to pick it up again this week (prompted mainly because I'm going to have a few paintings exhibited in a gallery in Callander in May and they seemed keen on local views!). So anyway here is the finished version, it's quite different in colours from the earlier one, also I opened up the trees a lot and put in a bit of water to add interest in the mid-ground.

It much softer and the mountin now seems further away the only thing that catches my eye is the lake ,I would habve taken it behind the tree rather than have the definite line making it a small pond,just my opinion.
Good wishes for the exhibition.

Morning El,

Yeah, I like this. The softer background does add a bit more distance I think.

Bit more interest with the lake too.

Good luck with ya show mate

I agree with the lake comment. I'd let it run on behind the trees to give more depth. I also like the new mountain treatment, as it moves it back in the landscape.

David

Thanks guys. I think I probably agree with the comments about the water going behind the trees, not sure I have the energy to go back and do anything about it just yet . This picture has been quite a slog and I've invested a lot more time in it than I usually do on a painting. Hopefully someone somewhere will decide it's all been worth it!

Elise