Coat of many colours.

                              Out West   Oils on board  16 x 8 inches   

   Winter fields, snow bound with a wide sky full of sunset. The perfect excuse to paint.

Studio musings...

I love a little drama and this painting gives a sense of that.  It is a scene I often return to.  I love the broad brush sweeps and pats of colour placed with confidence.  'Lay it down and leave it' is a sensible suggestion for a painter...although it is not always easy to do.

  Temptation is often hovering nearby whispering

 ' just a little adjustment...go on, you can do it '

From bitter experience I can confirm that 'a little adjustment' can sometimes be a disaster.

However, the word 'can' is important as some adjustments are beneficial.  The trick lies in knowing when.  Standing back and looking at a painting helps to see where changes or corrections might make the difference.  Looking back through a mirror, placing the work upside down or a taking thumbnail photograph can help to spot this.

There is a useful book by Greg Albert ' The Simple Secret to Better Painting'.

   Greg says there is one simple rule to follow...  'Never make any two intervals the same'.

This can cover every element in a painting...composition, shape, colour, and tonal value. 

Going back to putting down a juicy, broad brush stroke and leaving it....

 One stroke can tell so much and the work of my favourite landscape painter 

the late Edward Seago ( 1910 - 1974 ) is an excellent example.

  Interested readers can find his paintings on www.portlandgallery.com/artist/Edward_Seago