Lessons Learned - Is your painting complete or it it finished?

Ammonnoosuc River - Watercolor on Paper

I did some detail work on my large watercolor of the Ammonnoosuc River in Northwestern New Hampshire.  On the lower left, was the early pass at the subject.  I will, from time to time, revisit a subject.  As I had left the picture, it struck me as close to what I was trying to achieve, but overall too dark.  It was accurate feel for the day and time, but the river didn't match the sky.  I decided to just leave things as they were for the time being to get some distance.  Often in Nature - there are times and locations that are quite interesting and moving, but they don't necessarily translate into a strong composition or painting without some artistic license.

There were parts of the picture that seemed flat to me, not enough of a difference in value.  I wanted to increase the interest throughout the picture while not confusing the eye with too much detail.  I remember vividly my first art show many years ago.  I was not really ready to show - but I went for it anyway.  

I walked the grounds and viewed the works of other artists and I found myself to be exhausted by the end as I was focusing on every detail I could.  I didn't really understand the lessons I was learning at the time.  The eye is naturally drawn to detail.  How to balance detail with leaving much up to the viewers imagination?

Years later I went to an exhibition of NC Wyeth, Howard Pyle, and Andrew Wyeth at the Farnsworth in Rockland, Maine.  It was a breathtaking exhibition and really a master class on both composition and using, or avoiding, detail to draw the viewers eye to the intended center of interest.  What I noticed immediately was that these paintings were at once very dramatic and moving, yet very "relaxing" to view.  I wasn't searching the center of interest - it was clear in each and every painting.  It wasn't really until the second or third pass through the exhibition that I began to notice the areas of a painting that were merely indicated with a minimum of brushstrokes and subdued values.

    

I brightened the sky to bring it into line with the river in the mid ground and darkened the water in the shadows in the foreground. and I also did some more variances in value throughout all the areas of the picture to add depth and interest.

            

       Detail Left                                       Detail Center                                      Detail Right

I also added some shadows to the rocks in the foreground and added more variance in the values on the small island.  It is a challenge to know when enough is enough with any subject.  Sometimes one brushstroke can be just what a painting needs to bring it to life, or it can ruin a subject.  As Bob Harris (Robert George Harris (1911-2007) Artist and Illustrator) advised me: 

"It's important to know when a painting is done before it is finished!"

None of this is meant in any way to detract from interest or pursuit of highly detailed paintings or Trompe l'oeil paintings.  Those types of paintings are simply not an area of interest for me - at this time.  I do believe that every type of painting, every attempt, informs my work on my next painting.  If you can express what you want to - what moves you, I don't believe that there is a "wrong" way to approach that painting.  

                            

Is it Done or Is it Finished?

These two photos of two of my most recent paintings give a better sense of the size of the water color sketches to the finished work.   For these two acrylics, the sketches are about 1/4 the size of the finished work.

With the large watercolor I did  of the Amonoosuc River, the ratio was more like 7 1/2 to 1.  At this point, I don't do a detailed scale down or up from sketch to finished painting, it is more just a part of the process.  Trying to keep this as simple as possible for quick and efficient sketching in an attempt to capture the moments which catch my attention.

I'm quite motivated by the idea of capturing the different moods of a subject, and even imagining them based on earlier observations of nature.  Both of these paintings are realistic subjects - they do exist, but in imaginary perspective for the old mill pond, and imaging a winters evening full moon light at a local farm.   I really enjoyed these different exercises in the studio.  Working on location remains my first joy in painting, but studio work is gaining in its standing and enjoyment for me.  

I also try to keep the advice of two well known and highly successful artists front and center as I paint.  John Stobart advised putting only as much detail into a sketch as would be needed to execute a finished painting later.  This was to avoid "copying" even one's own work and maintaining room for the spark of creativity.

The late Bob Harris (Robert George Harris) was very encouraging to me through our correspondence and phone calls.  One of my favorite quotes of his is:  "It's important to know when a painting is done before it is finished."  

I also remember vividly the original illustrations by N.C. Wyeth and Howard Pyle on display at the Farnsworth Museum in Rockland, Maine.  The paintings were monumental in scale, composition, color, and use of limited detail.  They knew how to lead your eye where they wanted it to go.  A large area of background scumbled in with virtually no detail in no way diminished these paintings.  On the contrary, the contrast made the paintings even more powerful.  You really had to be on the lookout to even notice these techniques.