Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Golden Afternoons-SOLD


This was one of those late afternoon paintings when everythings real golden. its one of my favorite times to paint.
you know youre going to paint better when everywhere you look you see something you want to get down!
as i've said in the past, this time of day is one of the hardest to paint because the sun is setting so quick and you really have to hurry.
seems like the quicker its done the better it comes out. another good reason to "get with the program" when youre out there plein air.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh this is a sweet one Mike. That tint of mauve in the cloud in the middle and how it picks up the shade side of the building.
And the sky and the grass are in synch.

Great.

mike rooney studios said...

bonnie
thanks so much. you can get that kind of harmony by making sure that the big shapes have a bit of all the other shapes in them. you do that at the very end of the painting right before adding the few details. the subtle mauve is in the sky AND in the grass.
sometimes i premix the 5 or 6 big shapes on the palette. take a little of one and mix it with all the rest as long as its the same value you can get away with it. remember you can use any colors you want in a shape, just as long as the value's right.
even if you dont see it... put just a little of it in the other shape. only the skilled observer (you) notices the sleight of hand! nothing is better for tying the sky to the ground.
p.s.i'll get to that email.... just swamped this minute, OK?
thanks

Jeff Mahorney said...

What a beauty! The color play in the clouds is just a joy. I can really feel the warmth of the sun in those grasses. Terrific. :)

mike rooney studios said...

jeff
thanks, man. that golden light strafing that wheat grass is magical in real life isnt it. too bad we can only pitifully try to describe it in pigment!
the sky was fun to do. just kept the values the same and put alot of color in them. some i didnt even see :O

Mikes1024 said...

Hi Mike the previous posters beak me to the punch line...this painting is really nice...the sky really caught my attention...I've been paiting a sky for weeks now...I'm a bit slow....and it's killing me.

mike rooney studios said...

mikes1024
thanks alot.
skies can be fun and challenging. sometimes they just flow and other times you labor and labor over them. hang in there!