Three Starts for Whistler

Early Start Blackcomb Mt 30x20

Just back from a week in Whistler. Great skiing. Amazing wonderland of winter scenes. 


Came home excited to put brush to canvas and play with a few images while I still had Whistler "feelings" in my head.


 I wanted to use acrylics as I am far more playful and inventive using them and that was what I was wanting. But for the past 6 weeks I have been painting in oils trying to get myself ready for the Carol Marine workshop in February. So I wanted to make a couple of starts using different approaches to get some comfort back in using my acrylics.

I chose four images and decided on three different approaches.  


For the first I used a photo of Blackcomb Mt as the main focus of the painting and used a photo of a local stream as my foreground . I used a white canvas (30x20) and placed my sketch using a black China Marker. I did my under-painting using two transparents with medium (Green Gold and Quin Magenta - both Golden Liquids). Then I decided ( no real plan here - just experimenting) once dry, to add Pthalo Blue-Green Golden Liquid to shape the darks.  I shaped the mountain and foreground snow using opaques . Back and forth  etc etc. playing with values and temperatures. Finished the start by raising the value of the sky and playing with warms and cools. 

Across the Valley 18x24

The second I used an 18x24 canvas treated with gesso coloured with left over paint. I shaped the darks using transparents - Diox Purple with Quin Burnt Orange and a bit of Ultramarine Blue - all Golden liquids. Then tested colour and value for foreground snow then shaped the back ground using opques.I let the warm canvas show through randomly in several spots to create a bit of a mother colour. 

Mid Day Shadows 16x20

The third was done on black gesso 16x20. I used white China Marker for the sketch and used dark transparents almost the value of the back to add colour and temperature variation in the dark spots - mostly Diox Purple, Quin Burnt Orange and Transparent Red Iron Oxide - then began shaping things using opaques. I let the back show through in random dark locations. 

So three different approaches to three starts. Now I set them aside and consider each for a few days to decide what they need - either ideas to finish  (make them more interesting and attractive ) or to the junk pile. 


Pretty good days work!