Painting outside

I started this exercise in the autumn, ahead of the earlier exercise on expressive landscape, during a break in the wet weather and before the snow. In preparation I spent a few days sketching views as I walked the footpaths that cross the fields around my home village of Flamstead.

I finally settled on a location adjacent to Friendless Wood where a bench had been placed for locals and passing walkers to stop and enjoy the views. From this bench I prepared a pencil study in my A4 sketchbook and a watercolour study. The view I had chosen had diagonal lines created by the fields' boundaries and hedge rows together with receding power lines in the distance. These features should help to lead the viewer's eye into the composition of my picture.

The composition I created was loosely based on the "rule of thirds" and comprised elements of aerial perspective looking down into the valley in the middle distance. I liked the different textures created by the way the fields had been ploughed and the crops or grass were growing contrasting with the hedge rows/tree lines and man made structures (power lines). I wanted to express these variations to help enhance the feeling of space and distance.

Unfortunately, prior to returning to commence my acrylic painting in situ the weather changed again bringing more rain for several days. In order to progress this exercise I retreated to my studio with the studies I had prepared on site and attempted to reproduce the view starting with a colour study in my sketchbook.

At the time of my initial sketches the sky been fairly clear leading to frosty mornings. The hue was pale receding to a cool lemon/white near the horizon. The distant trees and power lines appeared a blue grey with the distant fields loosing their colour intensity. The sun was positioned above the top right of my view placing the hedge row in the middle distance in shadow and highlighting the brow of the field at the edge of the foreground as it fell away out of view.

I worked with a palette limited to ultramarine, lemon yellow, yellow ochre, cadmium red (dark hue) and titanium white. My first layer of colour enabled me to block in the whole view but with limited tonal variation. To strengthen the illusion of perspective I proceeded to lighten the background and parts of the middle distance and darken the foreground. I also defined the hedge rows and tree lines in a deep blue grey and started to differentiate tones on the small wood to the right of the view where the sunlight was catching the tops of the trees.

I took breaks between applications of paint to allow for drying and colour settling as the acrylics darken as they dry. I gradually adjusted the hues to increase the contrast between the lighter tree lines and fields in the distance from those in the middle distance. Working across the picture I also increased the level of detail in the foreground creating greater definition of the rough grass and ploughed field. At this point I added the power lines and telegraph pole.

As my first attempt at a rural landscape using acrylic paint, I was satisfied that I had managed to achieve some feeling of distance by varying the lightness and intensity of hue from foreground to background. I was disappointed not to have managed to complete the painting in situ but am motivated to try again when the weather improves. The result is less spontaneous and free than my watercolour study. Also my choice of colours was too limiting for this subject and could have been improved by adding a warm cadmium yellow and possibly another blue to increase the variety of mixed greens particularly in the foreground and to enhance the earthy hues actually visible in the fields.

I believe I could have improved the composition by adding more detail to the rough grass/wild flower area in the foreground and being more controlled with my rendering of the telegraph pole in the middle distance. Had I worked in situ the southerly aspect of the view may have caused problems as the sun moved across the sky changing both shadow/tones and the intensity of hues. The location was otherwise quite good being sheltered by the wood behind the view and because there was a bench available to sit on and lay out my materials. It is situated less than half a mile from my home in easy walking distance for carrying materials and supports up to about A2 in size.