TM8272 Listening for Loons 16×16 oil on panel

Early evening, when the day fades away. A conversation from somewhere across the lake is the only sound – and then the loons call as night descends. I want to go back. Enjoy!

Technical painting notes: This painting was started by using a soft rubber brayer to roll on a thin reddish brown layer of oil paint. The sky area was left untouched. Selective wiping with a paper towel lightened the area where the rocky point would be, then textures were blotted out of the rock using mineral spirits and a scrap of  plastic. A moist brush was used “erase” a few rhythms of branches in the trees. At this point, I allowed the panel to dry a couple of days.

Returning, I glazed green into the trees and water, then painted the sky. Next, using a few shades of gray, I brushed very thin paint onto the rocks, trying to define them with as few strokes as possible.  Golden greens were used to highlight a few more branches, and some of the gray was dragged into the water to suggest reflections. The waterlilies were painted twice – the first time I used too strong a green and too pronounced an outline. I took a soft brush loaded with Liquin to drag the lilies and soften the effect. This seemed to work better. I did go back and add some yellow ochre and lighter green to suggest a band of floating duckweed. I wanted subtle details happening in the foreground, but not so pronounced as to distract from the rocky point and its trees. A harmonious effect and sense of quiet was my goal, and I kept reminding myself that less is often more..