"The Duchess' Picnic Spot"
oil on canvas panel, 8" x 10"
Today, I was pressed for time. So I chose this subject. I had to spend a few minutes sketching it in my sketchbook . . .there were some interesting perspective wrinkles with the way the surface of the vineyards had slight undulations and the rows of vines flowed in differing directions to make such and interesting and captivating pattern. I realized, as I sketched, that it wasn't just rows of vines I was seeing. I was seeing shadows gradually disappear as I read from left to right . . . .Oh! I was amazed that I hadn't observed that little subtlety before this! They disappear because, eventually as one progresses from left to right, one is looking at the side of the vines that blocks the line of sight to their cast shadows.
And speaking of perspective, temperature played a big role in this piece. As each 'patch' was painted toward the background, the colors needed to become cooler. I was also trying hard to make the vines appear as though Autumn was near, thus turning the greens toward ochres, yellows, reds etc. But pushing back into the deeper perspective, the colors had to run cool . A nice exercise in color work. . . . . .now that I see this published, there is a small needed fix that I must tend to right now, before it dries. But that doesn't matter here . . .it is the area near the tip of the cypress trees . . .a small whitish line that needs to dissappear. Strange that I didn't see it before.