DAILY PAINTING 2.10.2010

I chose my next picture for my daily timed painting. It took a while. I want the picture to be fairly simple…but with some striking features.

I took this photo many years ago on a trip back east with hubby in his 18- wheeler. This is, I think, either Pennsylvania or New York. It was in the autumn. Being a desert rat, I had never seen such incredible fall color in such amazing abundance! Three times, that day, I flat-out busted into tears…I kid you not!

I like the overall softness. I will ignore that distant silo and the other buildings. I intend to make that bright green field...the one way back there... stand out a little more. So, I cropped it way down.

I’m going to have to be very careful not to get carried away with the colors of all the foliage on the background hills.  This was actually a very overcast day and the colors should all be quite muted.

By the way, this was taken with my old RCA digital camera which was NOT the best digital camera ever made. But it was one of the very first and I am grateful I had it.

Oh…now, I am remembering the ‘olden’ days.

I could take about 12 pictures with that thing and then I had to upload the pictures to the computer. It would eat up batteries like I eat up..well…nearly anything that is set before me. We had an inverter in the truck. An inverter is a thing that plugs into the cigarette lighter and gives you a place to then plug in an electric appliance or gadget…such as a digital camera. We’d be traveling down the highways and by-ways and I’d be on the bunk with Chuck’s laptop and my dinosaur of a camera uploading pictures as fast as I could. It wasn’t fast. It was painstakingly slow! My! How things have changed! Remembering all this is making me even more grateful for my little Kodak!

But I digress………

Then, I printed it. My print is of very poor quality, due to the camera’s capabilities…or lack thereof….and  probably something else, technological, that I don’t know how to fix.

But, that’s ok. It is only a reference. I can always look at the monitor and see it, so all will be well. I think. I hope.

Also, blurry just might be a good thing. I have to have glasses to read, but never wear them when I paint. You need to squint a lot when you’re painting, so I just ditch the glasses to begin with.

Why do you need to squint when you paint?

Because squinting helps you edit out all the extraneous junk. It helps you see the most important stuff…like shapes and values.

For more about squinting:

http://clicks.robertgenn.com/praise-squint.php

Enough of the talk. It’s time to paint!

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I had to take some artistic license in this one. The green field is the reason for this painting. In the photo, it’s too small. So, I made it bigger.

After all, I AM the creator of my world! ;)

I really like this one. I might spend a little more time on it and see if I can make some improvements on it.

Or......
I might just do it all over tomorrow.

I'm grateful that I get to play with paint every day if I want to!

P.S.  Today is our wedding anniversary.  Only thing is, we don't remember how many years it's been....around 17, we think.  If I hadn't married him, I probably never would have started painting.  Am I grateful for him, or what?  That's not the only reason, but it's a big one!