Personal Art Blog

Sharing the lessons I teach at the Artist Guild and the personal discoveries in my art.

Tuesday, May 15, 2018

The Rio Chama, Abiquiu, N.M.




The Rio Chama, Abiquiu, N.M.
6”x8”  oil on canvas panel. $150. SOLD


Artist Note
One of the most gorgeous spots 
I have ever painted. 
 Over the years I have captured it
in all seasons but the monsoon season
  with cloudy skies casting random shadows
has to be my favorite. 

There is a particular time when
the sun cuts through a gap and
shines across the river. 
It is magical.

Photographing this painting was
rather difficult due to the blue of the
mountains appearing far 
bluer than on the paintings.
It took forever to get it close.
seriously...
I could have painted another painting!

Anyone know a solution to this problem?

28 comments:

  1. Good morning Julie, Beautiful painting with strong on lights and darks but not harsh. I think a tweak in Photoshop can isolate some colors. Certainly not my strong area of expertise.

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    1. Thanks for the nice comment, Blanche. As for Photoshop, I have never used it. I used to love Picasa and now i use the basic editing that is on the computer. I think, but not sure, it is the amount of blue in the painting that made it worse so I had to desaturate it. It is more or less in the ball park now.
      But different on this ipad than computer at work. Oh boy!
      Have a great week.

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  2. Off hand, Julie, I don't, but perhaps someone will describe one for us both. I usually play with HUE in Photoshop, or I try photographing in different lighting conditions.

    Your painting is breathtaking! Makes me wonder what additional beauty is around the bend in the river. What an exquisite world in which we live!!

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    1. Photoshop was always too expensive for me, Carol, so i got Elements and that was difficult with no one to show me how. I loved Picasa before they took it away. I have been told that Sapseed is excellent and when i have time off this summer may spend time learning it. I will check for something that says hue because desaturated worked better this time. Thanks for helping. Are you painting or playing? I sure miss your posts.

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    1. Thanks, Friend. This place should be on your bucket list!

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  4. It is a really beautiful painting, Julie, from a wonderful vantage point. What a stunning view this place must offer -- in all seasons.

    As to your color issue, my only strategy is to do as you do: photograph in various locations and then fiddle with the editing tools on my computer. Sometimes they improve matters, but (as you point out) monitor displays vary as well. Aarrgh!

    By the way, whenever you've responded to my comments, you've been kind enough to inquire what I've been up to. Over the past several months some health issues resulted in my being able to complete (very slowly) only a few paintings, mostly commissions. Happily, matters have now enormously improved, and I'm able to be back at my easel. Although I've not resumed membership on DPW, I will be posting recent work on my blog again soon. Thanks for "keeping an eye" on me, chum!

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  5. I am thrilled to hear from you, dear Helene. Bummer about the health issues but happy you are on the mend and creating again. I will look forward to checkimg on your wonderful paintings.

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  6. Love the Zones of Light that help emphasis the subtle changes in values. Wonderful painting.

    I can recommend a book on boats batteries for you :)

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    1. Thank, John and may I say that you really know your "zones of light" - it shows on your beautiful portrait, Logan's Light.

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  7. Maybe a pale lavender glaze over the background?

    I suspect it necessary to lighten and gray and cool the background mountains more than what our eye or photo shows us. I've struggled with this myself and I tend to go online and search Google>Landscape>Images (tab at the top) and look at art work that does what I'm after and try to copy the method. The hundreds of thumbnail images that come up are an easy way to find what I'm looking for.

    Landscape is really, really hard, but the sunlight coming over the hills really took my breath away in this piece.

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    1. You have some great hints here, Lauren. Thank you. The glaze would work if the color was wrong on the painting. Actually, the color in the painting was just what I wanted - it was the iPhone camera image which took it way into the strong blues. When I tried to alter it would affect all the warm colors. Difficult. The problem is I have to get it as close as possible because it was for sale.
      I used my Nikon and it was better.
      I shared your Google-Landscape idea with the class. It was received warmly. Especially as the semester ends next week.

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  8. Sorry, no solution from me. I can however, confirm that getting blues correct in an image is almost impossible. If you figure it out, please let me know. Blues are a favorite hue for me, so I encounter this issue frequently.

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    1. I did find not using the iphone but my Nikon helped and then I de-saturated as much as I could without losing the colors.
      Usually the blues are not as big a problem as this was. I always have to tweak it but nothing would get this to the harmony the painting actually had until I used the camera.

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  9. A beautiful landscape and an incredible use of color . The light hitting the river and illuminating the brown hills is amazing !

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    1. Happy you like it Jane - thank you.
      I totally LOVE your nude. Great style!

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  10. Looks really lovely to me although I realize that paintings are not always easy to depict on a computer. I think at $150 you got screwed!

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    1. Happy you like it, David. Thank you. I LOL at your thoughts on the price. Where I live it is a very good price for such a small painting.
      i LOVE your blog. Such beautiful photos of birds and the writing is wonderful. I am happy you found me so in turn I could find YOU!

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  11. This is SO beautiful Julie. The texture is wonderful especially for painting mountains. I love this. I as well have problems taking the perfect photo because of color....I start taking photos in the dining room...then living room...bedrooms... I've even gone in the bathroom...lol... When painting a portrait I have problems with getting the right colors in the face....either too pink or orange so that's why I hit each room...

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    1. A good point about the different lighting conditions. I have found that to be true too.
      I guess to get the warms and cools of flesh colors does take the right lighting.
      Love your portraits, dear Hilda so I guess you are successful with your colors.

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  12. maybe the white balance on your camera needs tweaking??

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    1. I used the iPhone 6s and it emphasizes red and blue. Ended up with using my Nikon. Would not matter but when they are for sale you want them to look as close as possible to the original b

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  13. Even with a disappointing blue, the painting sings, Julie. It is just beautiful.
    And photographing? Sometimes I go outside, plop the painting in direct sunlight and shoot away. Works more often than not, but our light here in the PNW is probably a bit different than yours. Worth a try, though.

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    1. In the end I had to use the hikon to get it close so this photo is as pretty close to the original. Yes, outside in shade or in different rooms. I tried them all. Such a waste of time. Snapseed did the best.
      What a great job you did with Starry Night. Loved it!

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  14. This has such wonderful atmosphere!

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  15. Julie - such a gorgeous painting. It is as if I standing right there looking out at this beautiful scene. I can understand why you enjoyed painting this one. Hope you have a delightful weekend. Hugs!

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  16. Some things I have found useful are: do a color study on sight if possible. Take a photo that is light balanced for the shadows and another light balanced for the highlights. This is easy on an iPhone by tapping the light or dark area and adjusting the contrast. Forget the photo altogether and exercise your painting memory! Hope this is useful. Beautiful painting and the results worth the effort!

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  17. For my eyes, it looks stunning!

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I love that you are taking the time to comment and thank you for it. I am sure other readers will enjoy them too. If you cannot comment through this format then email me at juliefordoliver@gmail.com
Cheers,
Julie