Late Afternoon

Late Afternoon

16 x 20 inches, oil on canvas panel, 2015. 

I can’t say I know if I’ll be up to posting regularly.  I wanted to let that last post sink in for a while anyway.  Today I have something less heavy.  This is the completed easel painting derived from the Oak and Hickory sketch I posted a while ago.  I changed the time of day and elaborated detail a lot more.  I had to add some more dappled light, too. 

I am aware that some people might fault the composition.  It would be more conventional to move the trees to the edges as repoussoir (don’t know how to make that plural – I studied Spanish and Italian, not French) and leave the center open for the viewer to walk into.  But I want the leaves to whack you in the face so you notice the detail.  Sometimes people are inclined to dismiss landscapes if they are arranged too typically.  If you want to go over by the fence you may still walk around the trees.  It’s experimental. 

As always, please take notice of the colors, textures, patterns, and details afforded by my realism.  I didn’t exaggerate color that much…at least I don’t think I did.  I enjoyed painting in the little butterfly vignette.