Streamlining Complex Scenes: A Step-by-Step Guide
In the heart of Queensland, Australia, artist [Name] found themselves faced with a challenge - a breathtakingly intricate landscape that threatened to overwhelm their brushstrokes. The location, Secrets on the Lake, offered a picturesque panorama of lush rainforest, a shimmering lake, and towering mountains in the distance.
The abundance of colours, shapes, lines, shadows, and highlights made it difficult for the artist to decide where to begin. To tackle this complexity, they adopted a method common in plein air painting - starting by sketching the large shapes or masses, and focusing on capturing their average colour and value as flat patches without texture, edges, or details.
As the light constantly changed, the artist had to work quickly, capturing the scene's essence rather than striving for a finely rendered version. Photos are great, but painting allows one to capture the scene as they see it, with all its subtle nuances.
Towards the end of the painting, significant changes in shadows and colours forced the artist to work from memory, a testament to the dynamic nature of the scene. The initial scene was too complex to paint on location, so the artist decided to crop out much of the detail and focus on an area that captures the essence of the scene clearly and concisely.
The end result was a rough study, a beautiful way to remember the trip. This method, while not meant to capture a finely rendered version of what is seen, helps simplify complex natural scenes efficiently, focusing on the leading visual elements rather than getting lost in overwhelming details.
The artist used this opportunity to test out plein air painting equipment and found it to be a personal and creative way to document their life. They recommend that aspiring plein air painters concentrate on values and colour relationships, avoid rendering individual branches, leaves, or textures in the early stages, and use a limited or pure-color palette to mix their greens and grays for a cohesive look.
The accommodation at Secrets on the Lake, a secluded lodge nestled amongst the dense rainforest, provided the perfect setting for this artistic exploration. From the balcony of the lodge, the artist found an interesting location - the lake and mountain in the distance, the repetition of tall tree trunks, and the dappled light hitting the trees.
In simplifying complex scenes, one learns to see like an artist, focusing on dramatic contrasts, narrowing down on the essence of the scene, using hands to frame potential compositions, and being open-minded. This exercise in composition is a valuable skill for any artist, whether painting en plein air or in the studio.
The artist, inspired by the landscape at Secrets on the Lake, decided to create a plein air painting, finding the home-and-garden setting ideal for this artistic endeavor. To effectively capture the complexity of the breathtaking scene, they adopted a method often used in home-and-garden and travel art – sketching large shapes or masses and focusing on flat patches of color and value to simplify the scene before delving into intricate details. This approach, they noted, would also be beneficial when creating a landscape painting, allowing for an efficient expression of the essential elements while avoiding becoming overwhelmed by minute details.
