Practice Painting in Big Sky

Well, I promised that I would post pictures of my paintings during our trip to Big Sky last week, so here goes. Of course, there is never as much time as you think there will be, and so I only started 3 small paintings, and did not complete any of them. But, they were fun practice. And, I took lots of photos, and have lots of ideas for a future series of paintings.

The first painting to the left is a quick abstract landscape that I did without a reference, and the colors were chosen based on what I had on my palette (totally breaking "the rules"). I did this painting as we were packing to go home. I needed to clean my palette and hated to waist the paint. I think it might be my favorite of the three - I like the loose, easy style, and the vibrant colors.

This next one is based on a photo I took on a previous trip to Big Sky during the summer. To finish it, I need to work on the fence (it is only quickly sketched-in at this point), add a little more definition to the trees, and finish the flowers and grass in the foreground.

And, the last one below has several areas that need work. First, I think I would remove the far rocky/sandy bank, as I think it is distracting and taking away from the overall composition. Once that is removed, it will be easier to see what else needs to change to make this painting really work.

Learning to critique your paintings is such a valuable skill for an artist. I think I have mentioned previously how much I have learned in that area from Maureen's classes. She is also always reminding us to step back from our paintings frequently, to "paint a little, and look a lot". I will usually come back to a painting several times over the course of a week or two, continuing to modify it as I notice areas that could be improved.

Please check out my paintings at http://JenniferFerrisArt.com/