Monday, March 21, 2011

Down to the Wire

I'm very close. At this point I can clearly see some changes necessary. The horse head on the right in back of the lunging horse is all wrong...too big...just weird. It's been annoying me but I wanted to get a good feel for the water before I started fussing with it. Also, the horse being bitten needs wilder eyes, after all, he's savaged and crashed into by the two surrounding horses. The forearm on the biting horse is too long.


I added a bit of blue to the bottom water to get some color variety and pop the oranges. I was very unsure of doing this but the water was too violet. It's a combination of ultramarine and my new Gamblin Chromatic Black that I'm enjoying. The top of the splashing water is highlighted in white with just a whisper of cadmium orange. Perhaps it needs more of a warmer statement but I'm unsure and at this point don't want to make a mess of things.

Painters have to know when enough is enough. Many of us are so good at overworking a piece, myself included.

“Doubt can only be removed by action.” - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

3 comments:

Sue Johnson said...

Hi Sharon,
Love the action and movement of the horses. Just wondering, what would happen if you just removed the horse in the back? Looking forward to seeing the finished product. Love reading your thought process.
Sue

Linda Eades Blackburn said...

I agree with Sue, I don't believe you need that 4th horse. What an awesome painting! Beautiful color. Fantastic action!
Linda

Sharon Crute said...

Sue & Linda: I considered your suggestion and am contemplating. As I cover up that horse the diagonal thrust overpowers and the focal point shifts to the middle horse instead of the lunging horse. I'm just about finished although it remains unsigned and I'll let this simmer a few days. Really grateful for the comments...