White Water Thursday

Day four. Here is today's piece. I forgot to snap the original photo - darn. It makes it so much easier for you to relate to this process when you can see the original, sorry about that. The photo I was working from was shot in the rocky mountains looking down stream into a creek of white water. The whole picture was very dark with light hitting very little other than white water slapping against a few rocks. Ok, here is the original photo (retrofit post:-)


Again, another red rock treatment I'm afraid, but the real challenge today was how to convey running water over rock, oh and differentiate it from the snow sitting on the rock... another type of water. On my monitor this peg looks a very blue. The original has a lot more green, so when you see blue, think green. I spent all day on this one fat quarter of student grade primed canvas. The results are OK but I think that I could use another go at this motif.

Even though my results have been uneven, I have learned a lot of stuff this week that I have long wondered about. For instance, by using photography as a departure point (a black & white photo is ideal) I can take what I want from an original image and morph it into another design and colour combo representing what I feel like saying, conveying illustrating. The original image is that powerful when used this way. I have always known this , but for the first time I have actually done it "on command"and it works. On the technical side, I have also learned how to make shadows on snow that look real, made rock that looks real even if it is red, and water to look as if it is white or mirror clear.

Tomorrow is the last day of this class. For something completely different, Ted will demonstrate how to paint a nose, eyes, and lips. What fun. Who needs a face when you can get the nose right?!
Will post results tomorrow.