The difficulty of landscape painting lies in the fact that much study is required before the student can acquire enough accumulated experience or necessary knowledge to create. The fleeting effects of light bewilder him and he has difficulty getting any thing on his canvas. With accrued knowledge will come a sense of instinct as to just how much liberty may be taken with nature.
If a Given tree, for instance, would be of more value artistically in one spot than in another in our picture, we simply move it to that spot--or we may leave it out entirely. If the tree or trees before us are of a character of mass or color that would impair an aesthetic completeness of our motif, we simply "transplant" other trees of more compatible character into our picture.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Columbia Overlook
More from Carlson's Guide to Landscape Painting by John F. Carlson
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2 comments:
This is stunning Donna, as if you made the light the subject of the painting and not any particular element of it like the water, land or trees. I still struggle with transplanting trees - especially when doing plein air and they are firmly rooted in front of me!
Hi Donna. Thank you. I have trouble transplanting trees as well. I was working on a painting yesterday and this morning discovered that I had placed a tree right where it is on the photo, which is right in the very center of the painting. I will move it of course, but transplanting trees is hard work!!!
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