Painting a Nocturne from Daytime Photos

"Konza Prairie by Moonlight" 14 x 18, oil on canvas.

   I recently spent a cold afternoon photographing the Flint Hills for painting reference. The most dramatic region I've found is along I-70 between Topeka and Manhattan, Kansas. There are some big vistas and surprisingly few trees. My search took me down gravel roads with names like "Deep Creek" and "Old K-18." In the dead of winter and without snow, all the color seems drained out of the landscape. Everything is warm gray in the foreground and cool gray in the distance. I was hoping the golden hour before sunset would saturate things a bit and it helped but only a little.

My photo reference. Note how I have also changed the composition.

   When I got home and went over my photos, there really wasn't anything that inspired me. Then I imagined what that barren world would look like under a full moon. I have painted a lot of nocturnes both from life and in the studio and have also heard of artists painting nocturnes from daytime scenes. It seemed like a worthy challenge. 

Nocturne by Frank Tenney Johnson

 There is a long tradition of nocturnes in western art, going back to masters Frederick Remington, C. M. Russell and Frank Tenney Johnson. Carrying on the tradition are contemporary artists  Bill Anton, Phil Starke, Michael Untiedt and others. I poured over their work for tips on how to get the effect of moonlight. I also went to a remote location and let my eyes adjust for about 15 minutes. I made a serious effort to note what color temperatures and values I was seeing. The truth is there is very little color but I was able to discern that the sky was cooler and the midtones in the foreground were warmer. Still all highlights registered as cool. With my photo, art reference and observation notes, I felt ready to start painting. The biggest challenge was that I had never done a painting with such a narrow value and spectrum range. It's amazing what you can do even with such constraints and the amount of mood that is created. Also I'm convinced there is no absolute right way to paint a nocturne. It's up to each artist to interpret their impression of a scene. I'm pleased with how this one turned out.

Salinas Missions 2.0

"Mission Ruins at Quarai" 12 x 12 oil on canvas

Like my previous entry, I've painted this image before (over a year ago) but it has really stuck with me. I love the stark separation of the shadow and highlights and how they are connected as a continuous shape. My first attempt was 8"x 8" and I felt like a larger treatment was in order. I also was not satisfied with how the shadow areas turned out the first time around. I'm much happier with this one. Note: this piece has been accepted in the 2013 Salon International Exhibition at the Greenhouse Gallery in San Antonio, Texas.

It reads easily as a black and white value statement.

Taking One to the Next Level

FALL COLOR • BIG CEDAR • DOGWOOD CANYON

"Autumn Portal" 18 x 18, oil on canvas

When I was painting this scene from life at the Big Cedar Paint Out, I knew it was one I would want to do larger when I got back to the studio. The original sold at the event so I was left to work with a couple of photos of the plein air piece and the scene, neither of which did it justice. The rest would be up to memory and imagination. It's one of my most ambitious paintings to date. After the block in of the shadow areas I finished it in sections so that I could work wet in wet throughout. Besides the natural harmony of the scene, I tried to use the fall leaves to connect it all together. I also reserved the lightest lights, darkest shadows and most intense color for inside the archway and upstream.

Winter Still Life Retreat

 After a couple of months painting alone in the studio, I gladly accepted John Lasater's invitation to join him and Jason Sacran for still life painting in his studio near Siloam Springs, Arkansas. They are both outstanding artists and I was hoping I could bring some encouragement or advice to the table also.

John liked to set up complex scenes and then crop in on them.

John's most ambitious painting still in progress. The photo does not do it justice.

Jason's first piece. His work defies labelling as either traditional or contemporary.

Jason finishing up his second painting, a daring composition.

For my first piece, I chose a traditional setup with complimentary colors.

My second painting, "No Cream, No Sugar" 9 x 12, oils.

To see more of John's work: http://home.centurytel.net/Lasater/home.html
To see more of Jason's work: www.jasonsacran.com