Nidderdale: The Completed Painting

This view from Guise Cliff was stunning. The air was fresh and cool. Occasionally a gentle breeze would pass through and rustle the grasses as I looked down upon the colorful valley. As far as I could see there were farm houses, villages, reservoirs, large and small estates, the peaceful River Nidd and fields with sheep and cattle grazing. England never looked more beautiful to me.

Nidderdale
36x48", oil on canvas
Rita Salazar Dickerson

Stage 6: Painting the foreground.

This painting was fun but a challenge. Using only palette knives, I constantly underestimated the amount of paint I needed so I was always squeezing out more and more paint; it rarely seemed like it was ever enough.



The final painting with the 8x10" color study.

Visiting Northern England: Landscape Painting #6

This study depicts a portion of Nidderdale looking out from an upstairs bedroom window. The sky was overcast and the air was cold. It felt good to be inside.

I first painted this on a 8 3/4 x 5 3/4 inch panel that slips into the frame of my small box easel. The easel is such a convenient size (9 1/4 x 7 1/4"), I was able to set it on a window sill. I worked in acrylic for this initial study. My main concern was capturing the colors accurately.

Back here in my studio I used my little color study for reference and then also used a reference photo taken from that same window to repaint this scene on a 10 x 8" canvas. The colors that I applied on the small panel were so much more vivid that the colors in my reference photo; a good reminder of how much nicer (and more accurate) it is to paint from life.

One of my favorite parts of this late winter scene of the dale is the color of the grove of trees which contrast so well with the rich green of the hills.

The Farm In The Dale
10x8", Oil on canvas
Rita Salazar Dickerson

I really had fun with my palette knife on this final layer. I switched off between the palette knife and paint brush to apply thick paint and soften the edges.

Visiting Northern England: Landscape Painting #5

It was early morning. Everyone else in the house was still asleep.

I could hear a rooster crow; the sun was about to rise.

Grabbing my camera I headed to the empty bedroom that overlooks this scene behind the house. I opened the window and began taking shots of the beautiful Nidderdale morning unfolding before me.

Nidderdale Sunrise
10x8", Oil on canvas
Rita Salazar Dickerson

As the sunlight touched the trees and buildings everything turned golden.

Painting this little study was a fun change for me. I worked quickly challenging myself to spend only the amount of time necessary to tell the story. When working from a photograph, I must remind myself to paint the colors the way I remember them, not necessarily the exact colors that are in the photograph. Once again I used a #4 filbert brush to block in the shapes of colors and then a #2 filbert to work in the details.