Lamar Valley - Yellowstone
6x8in oil on canvas panel $125.
It was overcast with light showers on and off as we drove through
this long and beautiful valley.
We saw herds of Bison, snow on the mountains at each end
and forested hills on the sides. The valley was pretty flat with
clumps of trees providing some dark vertical shapes
alongside the winding Lamar River.
Artist Note.
This was painted from another of my small watercolor sketches.
I sat in the car to paint after the rain had stopped and the light
broke through the clouds.
In all honesty, everything looked blue/gray in my sketch, so when
I painted this I added pinks and purples with warm browns in the front.
I think I still managed to keep the feeling of the weather conditions
as I remembered them. That is the advantage of painting plein air
sketches. I am sure you all agree that the scene stays in your memory
much better than when you take a photograph.
You did capture the atmosphere really well in this.. great water too!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Dottie.
Deletegorgeous color in this painting, Julie. Beautiful piece.
ReplyDeleteThanks Hilda. You have been there - you know the beauty cannot be duplicated, only hinted at.
DeleteThis is so fabulous! We were in Yellowstone in the fall and this series really brings it back, they are just great!
ReplyDeleteGood to know you like Yellowstone too, Mary. I bet it was gorgeous in the fall with the leaves turning.
DeleteThis is stunning Julie. Love the color. I am thinking I need to take a trip to Yellowstone!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Carol. Your visit means a lot.
DeleteI don't think it is a stretch at all to imagine and then find other colors in that rainy landscape. Your sketches have sure been an invaluable tool for making these paintings. And you captured that rainy day, overcast feeling perfectly!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Libby. You are correct about the sketches. Photos do not show the real colors, with my photos anyway, I find I cannot "see" into the shadows.
DeleteThe movement of water at the point where eyes will pause to look, the gentle curve that you have given to the water color, I watch and feel ,I remain attached to the sound of water and I see the color of the sky ... MAGIC!
ReplyDeleteYou paid me the compliment of really studying the painting and I thank you for that, Rita.
DeleteI was trying to think if I did get a better feel for a place when I sketched it plein air rather than taking a photograph. I think you may be right, but I'm not sure. I never seem to think about painting when I'm experiencing a place--the aroma in the air, the touch of the rocks, the sand that gets in your shoes, the heat from the sun and how it shimmers on water. I soak up the atmosphere through my pores and when I do look at the photographs I took later, I'm there again and can hear the music of the place: the roar of the falls or the gurgle of the stream or how the trees danced with the breezes. Maybe fifty/fifty?
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile these are beautiful paintings you're doing of beautiful places in our spot on the planet.
Always interesting to read your comments, L.W. I like and enjoy the exchange you usually get going on your blog.
DeleteBefore I paint I do the same as you do, Absorb the sight, sounds and essence of the place. I guess it is because I am not the worlds best photographer that I never can see the colors in the shadows correctly, but you cannot beat the camera for that fleeting moment of magic when the light hits just right!
Beautiful, Julie. I love these wonderful, twisting rivers. Gorgeous colors!
ReplyDeleteThanks Carol and glad you liked the colors.
DeleteJust popping by for my JFO art fix. Thank you. I feel better now.
ReplyDeleteThis is another beauty of Yellowstone. Painting in the car would be difficult. I remember your post from some time back before I knew your blog very well and I remember thinking "this lady LOVES to paint". I also remember thinking how your photo of your setup in the car with the glove box and all reminded me of Edward Hopper's painting "Jo in Wyoming". http://www.wikipaintings.org/en/edward-hopper/jo-in-wyoming
Jo could be you. Or you could be Jo. I don't know. ...hey, I made poetry. :)
Oh, I love that painting of Jo - would you believe I have never seen it before so it is a real gift to me. Thanks Lisa. You are the BEST!
DeleteVery good materic effect! Arianna
ReplyDeleteI appreciate that, Arianna, thank you.
DeleteLovely landscape. I love all the textures and the blue/purple tones in the painting.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Roger, nice that we both like color in our work.
DeleteJulie, what lovely comments you received. I love it also but my comment is about the degree of fracturing. It is just the right amount for this work. And the way ones eye follows the flow of the river.......
ReplyDeleteWait until you see what I post tomorrow..........LOL
thanks, Helen..will look forward to it.
DeleteAh beautiful- magical!
ReplyDeleteComing from you it is praise indeed. Thanks Taryn.
DeleteBeautiful painting. So vibrant but still looks like an overcast day.
ReplyDeleteThanks for saying that, Robin.
DeleteYour work is wonderful!
Beautiful Julie...I feel a real sense of calm looking at this one. My favourite subject is landscape and this is the kind of painting I could live with for a long time!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Karen. I can understand you liking landscapes the best, but on a small panel I find them the hardest to paint.
DeleteYou have the ability to capture the air and sun in your paintings and I have to work very hard at that.
This is gorgeous Julie, the composition is classic and works to bring the viewer through and into the landscape. I love the tree reflections on the left balanced by the purple on right further back.Its a perfect balance of movement with gracious restful spaces.
ReplyDeleteA very thoughtful comment Anne, thank you. It shows me you really did look at the painting.
ReplyDeleteBrilliant work!
ReplyDelete