Some scenes you never tire of. Such is the
path in the reference photo I used below. I have painted
it numerous times. I have had several students
take it on. It's never the same and the story always
unfolds slightly differently.
I think I took the photo on a hike out west but I wouldn't swear to it. It's one of those personal yet generic photos of a path in the mountains. It offers foreground, middle ground, background and sky. There's a rhythm to the path and it's my go-to when I need to visit a familiar place while painting.
I started this in oil using a lot of medium to build up some texture. You can easily see the wide brush strokes left from the first layer of paint.
I enjoy starting several pieces at a time so that I don't overwork them and have something to do while the first ones dry.
I refined my colors a bit using the texture of the first layer and adding more where I could.
And slowly I tightened things up, softened some edges and planted the flowers. By this stage I was meandering slowly down the path thinking it might take a downward slant just around the bend. I was looking forward to seeing if the flowers would blanket a meadow below or if more rocks might show up so I could sit on them and breath a bit. Sometimes painting is a bit like watching the travel channel, you can visit wherever you wish without leaving home. Doesn't that mountain air smell good?
"That Easy, Peaceful Feeling"
oil, 12 x 16, unframed
on canvas
Hiking the Easy Way,
Cindy
