9.28.2013

Spring Light: Painting Stages

by Lisa Larrabee

Spring Light
Oil on Panel
16" x 12"
artist Lisa Larrabee

This landscape painting is a study for a larger piece that I am working on.  The larger painting will include my son, Nathan.  It is intended to represent intellectual and spiritual growth and transformation.  I realized as I was working out the composition that the original tree reference I chose did not support this concept.  I created this study to experiment with color and mood to better tell the story.


I realize that this doesn't look much like a study for a green tree.  This is just the under-painting.  I began this piece in the same manner as my self-portrait.  I used Gamblin Transparent Earth Red and Cobalt Blue Hue thinned with Gamsol (OMS).  Because I started on a white panel (instead of my usual method of toning a panel and letting it dry), I was able to lift out the lighter areas right from the beginning.


This picture shows the process part way through blocking in the color on this study.  I typically keep to a warm color pallet, so the green is a bit out of my comfort zone.  That is half the fun!  I definitely need to bring greens down into the ground.  I consciously work to begin loose and build detail without losing too much of the initial energy that comes with blocking it in.  I guess the key is knowing when to stop.


I didn't feel like I was quite capturing the mood that I wanted, so I started by glazing over everything with a translucent yellow.  This helped me to shift gears without the new colors feeling "off" in the context of the existing colors.  It is easier to take risks on a study than on the larger painting because you can cover more ground quickly.

~ Lisa