"Service Club Park"
Venice, Florida
9"x12" oil on archival canvas panel
painted by Cindy Mott McGarry
"Art is the most intense mode of individualism that the world has known."
- Oscar Wilde
First, let me say that I hope each and every person who reads this blog knows that I wish you and your families the best of health and wellness throughout this COVID-19 pandemic. This is such a sad, frightening and trying time for our country and our world. Art making can be very healing and create a sense of calm. It can relieve stress and aid in grounding/centering us so we can move forward with more clear, creative thinking and new problem solving skills. Many blessings to you all.
"How do you build an oil painting?" This is a question every artist must ask every time they paint because each painting is unique with unique challenges and problems to solve. "Where do I begin?"
"How do you build an oil painting?" This is a question every artist must ask every time they paint because each painting is unique with unique challenges and problems to solve. "Where do I begin?"
Taking the time to produce a well thought out design as the first step will save so much time and frustration later. Even a small black, white and gray value design will give you a good reference/reminder of what you saw initially that inspired you. Some artists do this in a notebook using graphite pencils, some create their design in an earthy thin oil color such as burnt sienna right on the canvas and some artists paint large blocks of darker cooler colors as their underpainting.
When I painted this high key painting of a beach pathway in the above painting, "Service Club Park," I wanted to express the intensity of the sun on the sand and grasses. I also wanted to use different types of colors using darker or lighter values - darker values in the foreground and gradually lightening the values as I painted the middle and distant areas. My design and underpainting were very simplified. The shapes started out deeper and darker in order to build up layers with medium to light values of color on top to really give the painting great texture and allow layered colors play off of one another.
My design and underpainting for "Service Club Park"
My easel setup and first steps of building "Service Club Park"
After this initial design I put in thick strokes of medium and light colors on top. The final steps of laying on thick reds, oranges and yellows is my favorite part of painting! This is how I built this painting. My palette was titanium white, cadmium yellow light, yellow ochre, cadmium red light, alizarin crimson, manganese, cerulean blue, ultramarine blue and burnt sienna.
I hope this was an enjoyable and helpful post for you.
Please like and comment or ask questions below.
Have fun painting!
Cindy
Cindy Mott McGarry
Artist and Blogger
Follow me on Instagram @cindymottmcgarry 😀
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