Cat. No. 1478 Enniscorthy Life, Ireland – 25cm x 20cm – Oil on Linen – 2022
I was attracted to the light hitting the buildings at the end of this lively street in the pretty village of Enniscorthy, in Ireland. Read on to learn 6 tips on painting this type of scene:
- I created a strong temperature contrast between the two sides of the street. I emphasized this temperature difference, keeping cool colors such as blues and violets on the right, and warm yellows and oranges on the left.
- I kept a clear contrast between large shapes painted with thinned paint and relatively little detail, with the focal areas painted using thick impasto strokes to add texture and interest.
- I used small shapes in the focal areas, and larger shapes everywhere else.
- I used calligraphic lines, particularly in the foreground street, in order to add interest to the, otherwise flat, colors used in those areas.
- All the impasto strokes were laid down confidently, and then left alone. Any messing around with the brushwork, after the first application of the paint, would have ruined the abstract quality of the brushstroke. This is easier said than done, because it means you have only one shot at the shape and color.
- The flat ground shape may look like one color, but the color actually changes subtly as you move further away, in order to convey a feeling of distance. It is greyed and cooled as you move into the background.
Photographic Reference for the painting
This is the scene, although the light effect is not as strong as when I first saw the scene. One has to catch the light very quickly in Ireland, before the clouds arrive from the Atlantic ocean!
Available for sale. Please contact me and quote the catalog number.
Online painting classes
Here are the online painting classes in the Virtual Art Academy® Apprentice Program that teach the techniques I used in this painting:
- C09 Focal Point And Focal Area
- D09 Atmospheric Hue Changes
- E06 Atmospheric Saturation Changes
- F06 Thick & Thin
- H02 Brushwork in Focal Areas
- H07 Contrast of Brushwork
Thank You
Thank you for taking the time to read this article. I hope you find it useful. If you would like to get free painting tips by email, please sign up for my free tips newsletter.
If you are interested in a structured approach for learning how to paint, take a look at my online painting classes.
Happy painting!
Barry John Raybould
Virtual Art Academy
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