Visiting Northern England: Final Painting # 6

There is a place in England,

along the River Nidd.

Where winter snows fall gently down,

the grass beneath is hid.

There is a place in England,

a place I love to go.

Where twisted trees and branches grow,

to catch the falling snow.

Rita Salazar Dickerson



Reflections On The River Nidd II
24x20", Oil on canvas
Rita Salazar Dickerson

When I saw this scene as I walked from the village, Pateley Bridge, I was so excited that I took photo after photo of it with each picture looking almost exactly the same. Sometimes I stood, other times I knelt, and a couple of times I leaned from one direction to the other. I wanted to capture this memory in the best possible light, angle and composition. In the end, I decided on this simple, straight forward view because of the trees. The grouping in the middle reminded me of a Chihuly sculpture with each tree twisting and moving in a different direction.

I started with a simple line drawing that I free handed with a number 2 filbert brush and a thin wash of paint (four parts mineral spirits to one part Torrit Grey, though any dark color will do).

Next, I blocked in the darkest value and then began painting in the light purple sky.



At this stage, I finished blocking in of all the colors. I always tell myself that this part will be quick and easy; it rarely ever is. Painting around these simple tree shapes was a lot more difficult than I had imagined.

 I completed the painting with the the second layer, wet-on-wet, using brushes and palette knives - and generous amounts of paint.



I didn't do a small study of this painting because I originally hadn't planned on painting it. But after completing the first Reflections On The River Nidd (See Visiting Northern England: Completed Painting # 2, July 15, 2012), I yearned for another winter scene of North Yorkshire and here it is.



Visiting North Yorkshire: Final Painting #5

Confident
Oil on canvas, 24x30"
Rita Salazar Dickerson

I have never thought about a sheep looking confident before, but this one looked like she really had it together.

There was something about the way she stood and gazed at me with her dark eyes.

Her striking dark face and legs were the perfect contrast to her luxurious, wool coat and white muzzle.



The sheep's horns added movement and texture.

Since I was working wet-on-wet I wanted to complete the face and horns during the first session.

Using my color study as a guide, I knew which colors to mix for blocking in the entire painting.

I liked this zigzag effect that the stone fences created in the composition.

Once the painting is completely blocked in I can usually tell whether I am going to like it or not. I was so excited to mix large amounts of paint and start completing the entire piece.

The nice thing about painting a small study first is that I have given myself time to think about the composition and decide what I like about it and what I would like to change in the final piece. In this instance, I realized I wanted the focus to be on the sheep and took out much of the background.

Visiting Northern England: Final Painting #4

Beckoning
oil on canvas, 24x18"
Rita Salazar Dickerson

This is the fourth painting in my Visiting Northern England series. After doing twenty-one small studies I am now choosing my favorites from those and painting larger versions. Here is the step by step sequence of how this painting was completed.

Stage 1: Painting in the loose lines of the landscape.

Stages 2: Blocking in the darkest value.

                                                                    Stage 3: Blocking in the purples and blues.

Stage 4: Adding the green to the trees.

Stage 5: Completing the blocking in of the green in the trees.

Stage 6: Painting in the tree trunks and branches.

Stage 7: Adding detail to the trees using a palette knife. I painted wet-on-wet.

Stage 8: Completing the detail in the trees with a palette knife.

Stage 9: Painting in the fence.

Stage 10: Using a palette knife I completed the detail of the wood and stone fence.

Stage 11: I completed the painting by blocking in the foreground and then finishing it with a palette knife. And then my favorite part,  comparing the final painting with the 10x8" study. I used more color and texture throughout the final painting.

Visiting Northern England: Completed Painting #3

Completed painting.
Bold
Oil on canvas, 20x16"
Rita Salazar Dickerson

I had to ask myself what it was about this ewe that made me want to paint her. There was something about her boldness, the way she carried herself and made her presence known. Plus there were the dramatic markings on her face and her thick wool coat; more than anything I was inspired by the random textures, colors and the light that played off of it. Having already painted a smaller version of her, I knew it would be even more enjoyable doing it large, using tons of paint and adding lots of color.

Stage 1: Drawing with paint, using a thin wash of Burnt Umber and mineral spirits.

I decided on a 20x16 inch canvas so that the head looked almost life size.

Stage 2: Painting in the dark markings.

Painting the ewe's face was the most tedious for me. I know it really didn't matter how accurate the black markings were on her face but I tried to get them as close as possible to how they really were.

Stage 3: Blocking in the rest of the face.

At this point it was just a matter of filling in with a gray paint around the black, blocking it in so that it would be ready for a thicker layer of paint (texture) to portray the ewe's fur. Painting wet-on wet, I wanted to complete this painting as I went, section by section.

Stage 4: Painting the face with a brush and palette knife.

At this stage I paid attention to color and value. Though it might be hard to tell from this photo, I used a lot of purple and blue.

Stage 5: Blocking in the body.

In general, I put more detail into my focal point, the face, and then used broader strokes and colors for the rest of the painting.

Stage 6: The background.

I followed the study rather closely for the background - keeping the strokes and colors varied and spontaneous.

Stage 7: Working on the ewe's neck.

At this stage, capturing the ewe's woolly neck and making it look thick and scruffy was my main objective. Once again I felt like I was playing with paint, my reward after all the detailed work on the face.

Stage 8: Completion.

It was rewarding to compare the final piece with the 10x8" study. To finish the painting I went over all of it again just to make sure I had everything the way I wanted it. I added more blue to her body and  lightened the shine in her eyes just a bit. I accentuated the edges of her wool and randomly pulled some of the paint into the background to give it a softer effect.

Visiting Northern England: Completed Painting #2

Reflections On The River Nidd
 Oil on canvas, 24x20"
Rita Salazar Dickerson

The February day was cold and wet. My fingers were numb as they held the camera. As I snapped the photos, I envisioned this scene as a painting. The River Nidd never looked more beautiful to me. Even the bare branches up above, dusted with snow, seemed as though they were dancing.

Stage 4: Painting the middle ground of water and river bank.

My goal was to keep it simple but I could not help but tell this story with interesting details. The reflections in the water from the bridge, the branches and the snow, all of it was important to me.

Stage 5: The under painting of the foreground snow bank.

Even the light snow in the foreground was good because of the texture that was created from the grasses and stones protruding from underneath.

Stage 6: Completing the foreground; adding the grasses and the final details.

 As I work on this series of paintings of North Yorkshire, England,  there is definitely a sense of accomplishment when I take the photo of the small 10x8" study with the final painting. Its fun to observe and compare the changes and enhancements that were made in the final piece - such as adding more color and thicker paint to virtually everything. I will set this painting aside and let it "rest" for a while until I can see it with fresh eyes again. Right now I am oblivious to any changes that might need to be made. Its time to move on and keep the momentum going.

Visiting Northern England: Final Painting #1 Completed

Nurtured
24x30", Oil on canvas
Rita Salazar Dickerson

It felt good to come full circle and achieve my goal of completing this first large piece in my series. Doing the little study was fun but there was a sense of satisfaction seeing it painted large. I wanted this painting to be big enough to give the feeling of the sheep looking almost life size, to command a presence in a room.

Stage 7: Painting in the black.

I started by painting in the black markings on the lamb. (I mixed Ultramarine Blue and Transparent Oxide Red in equal parts to make a black.)

Stage 8: Blocking in the lamb.

Next, I blocked in the lamb's body with a flat brush. With this under painting still wet, I then began applying the paint, wet-on-wet (alla prima) with a palette knife.

While I worked, I kept my little 8x10" study close by using it as a reference for color and technique. It was  enjoyable using generous amounts of paint mixed with a paint medium, Neo Megilp; the paint had the consistency of mayonnaise -  smooth, silky and spreadable.

And now it is time to move on to the next large piece in my series. I think it will be a landscape.