Painting landscapes has been one of my favorite styles of art I create. I may only be just beginning in this genre but learning the techniques and adapting my own sense of style to each piece is an addicting thrill for me. I’ve only been dabbling in this spectrum for a short time, but I have quickly learned that one needs not to have all the skills required by a sketch artist. I respect those who can draw with excellent precision; it is an artistic expression unlike any other in art. I will always say this skill is constantly evolving and adapting; I am improving through practice.
Some of my first landscapes were just for fun and to see my basic abilities in dealing with paint brushes. Once I was comfortable with how I was doing, I began to paint a quad set of 12×12-inch canvas paintings representing the four seasons. My colors were to be bright and inviting for the summer sunset, vibrant hues for the spring scene, relaxed and calm for the winter scene, and a warm glow for the fall scene.
The summer painting is a silhouette style at sunset with the rich, warm, and inviting hues of the sun over water just at the golden hour of the evening. I used small amounts of blue and green and focused mainly on the rich reds, oranges, and yellow tones for the setting sun.
I chose to use magical blue, white, pink, and magenta hues for the spring painting. I used mainly pink and magenta within the cherry tree itself, but also used them to incorporate a spring glow to the setting sun background. I used a dark navy hue and black paint to complete the tree’s island so that it would appear almost like a silhouette scene. I made sure to shadow the falling blooms and the tree’s island in the darker navy hues so that it would give a better definition to the scene. I used white to splatter stars onto the sky and to accent the cherry tree trunk.
I chose to use variations of deep navy, purple, magenta, soft pink, Naples yellow, white, and black paints for the winter scene. The mountains were primarily hues of purple and white and snowcapped in white and pink variations. Naples yellow, deep navy, and soft pink hues gave the evening sunset a wonderful dimension. The snow-covered cedar trees came out okay; I still have more work to build the skills I would prefer for them, but I am a work in progress! I still enjoyed the paint-splattered stars on this piece.
I chose warm and glowing hues for the fall scene. Most hues are variations of yellow, orange, red, forest green, white, black, and brown. I stretched some of my abilities on this piece and drew a bridge over a creek landscape. This piece tested every ounce of patience I have ever had. I tweaked this one so much I didn’t think I would ever like it. I used a wet sea sponge to create the floor of the forest and the farthest tree leaves so that it would be more defined the closer the forest leaves would be to the viewer. I used variations of brown and white to accent the bark on the trees. The brush strokes to create the creek were more drag marks with a small fan brush. I also used the smallest fan brush to define the tree trunk reflections. I used green, red, and orange paint to make the forest floor pop with some definition. The bridge was done in black and white, and I was okay with how it turned out, but I still feel my skills are growing regarding man-made objects.
Once the paintings were all completed, I hung them in my office as a set. I found that as a group, they looked well together. They took some time designing each one, but I am pleased with their results, and they covered a good size space behind my desk. I made sure to alternate their positions with warm and cool tones so that each looked beautiful in their own rights but fit equal to the design.
I am slowly learning more with each piece, and my skills have improved in some aspects of each design I paint. This is one that I did just before the end of the 2022 summer. It was just for practice and only on an 8×10-inch canvas. I loved the pink and rich, cool hues I chose to reflect off the lake and mountain landscape in this piece. I was pleased with the definition of the mountains. However, I am still working on those cedar trees–Ha!!
