Lockdown art
Travel restrictions being what they are at the moment, I’m having to rely more than usual on photographs and sketches from expeditions gone by. I did manage to squeeze in four days in the north; just before lock down but just after toilet paper and hand sanitiser couldn’t be bought for love nor money. So, enjoy a virtual trip with me back to the Forest of Abernethy in the Cairngorms: one of my favourite places.
The appeal of this image is the patterns and shapes created by the line of birch trees between the heather and the conifers in the distance. I’m planning a more abstract finish to this piece, which is something of a change for me. I debated using acrylic rather than oil but decided in the end on oil, mostly because of the range of colours at my disposal.
I want more of a translucent effect which means thinning the paint down and allowing the canvas to shine through. It also means not overworking the painting in order to keep it light and spontaneous.
Taking shape
Starting to work in some detail in the trees and across the skyline now. I’m reasonably pleased with how this is going although I’m not entirely happy with some of the colour. Early days yet though. There was just a hint of the deciduous trees coming to life so the conifers could just be seen through the branches of the birch trees.
Working on the detail
Getting to grips with some of the detail now. Couldn’t quite decide whether to include the fence in the foreground or not but decided to go for it in the end. I’ve reached the point where I need to be careful not to overwork the piece.
The finished painting
Art by Smart 
Leave a comment