Monday, August 23, 2010

"Sun-kissed and Wind-blown Lupines and Laundry, PEI"

One surprising phenomenon on PEI is the surprising red red earth. After the spring plowing for potatoes (one of their largest exports to such fast-food restaurants as Wendys, BurgerKing, etc.-mucho French fries), the fields are exposed in red. This is such an impact that the souvenir stores sell T-shirts with the red earth emblem on them. Also you can buy a bag of Red Earth there, too. On PEI there are many potato fields and farms. This scene is just before spring plowing when the multi-colored lupines that grow along the roadsides in profusion are at their most brilliant. They grow stalwart and soldier-like in bunches of color. A wild delight for the eyes as one travels the country side of PEI. Check out Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney for a cute story about perpetuating lupines....
And, look at that! Clothes hung outside on the line. Don't see that too often in our current fast-paced age.
Technique Tip: I underglazed the green field with a warm (Gam.) and a cool (AY) yellow. Warm in foreground field; cool in back half. This is an artist's technique that helps to create more visual depth in 2-dimensional (flat sheet) art since cool recedes and warm colors bring forward.
When I first "finished" this, I had too much empty middle ground. Not happy with the empty middle space, I added some more foliage behind the lupines and design that casually points to the center of interest as well as cutting down on too much middle space and giving the lupines more anchor in the foreground. Another technique used in composition.
The beginning project without the above changes can be seen on Virtual Paintout. Go there and you can compare what happens when the artist reevaluates a piece.
Each artist submitting to this challenge chooses a Google street scene that appeals to them. It's a great challenge and fun to see what the participant's "discover" and make into a finished project..
"Drinking nature is an unquenchable thirst." ~Berri Clove

6 comments:

  1. Nice...beautiful color.

    If you like the second one better, you could probably ask Bill G. to switch them out for you on his blog.

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  2. Rock, thanks for your comment.
    Will try the other because I do like this one better.

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  3. I really like the movement in the field and the balance in the great colors. Nice.
    Sheryl

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  4. The overworked foreground brings the glowing colors of the lupines to effect and the clothesline is giving sign of life in the scene. Very lovely.

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  5. I like the red building next to the barn, it really pulls my eye into the painting. We have Lupines in California but the are all blue.
    Good job, Phil

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  6. Phillip, thanks for stopping by and thanks for your comment. In southern NH we have lupines, mostly blue, but it seems lupines like cold weather and thrive lustily in the wild here on the East coast in northern NH, Canada, and especially PEI in pink, lavender, white, lt & dk. blue. Maybe they come in all these colors further north on the West coast?

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