Saturday, January 9, 2010

Some pictures of trees and not a whole lot else

I am so tired tonight that I don't think I can write much. And if I did it might not make much sense. But I have all of these tree photos that I take while I am out painting. I thought I would throw a few of them up for you to see. I will catch you again tomorrow after I have had some sleep and I can continue with some useful information. All of these were shot in New Hampshire. The woods of New England is varied and extensive.

I photoshopped this one a little, I have actually cropped and optimized them all, but this one I tried to add more tonalist color.

This is a piece of woods shot just as the light failed, I like that time of day best.There are so many possible moods in landscape. All of these photos are things I would like to paint. I don't work from photos a lot, but when I look at these I always think I will. I shot a lot more than I used to this year, I can store a lot in this computer and it rained so much this spring that I felt like I should have a backlog of "possibles" in case it ever does that again.

Isn't this place mysterious looking? I haven't really done much to it in photoshop this is what it actually looked like. I think I will use it to make a painting. It looks a little kaleidoscopic or like a colored glass mosaic.

16 comments:

Unknown said...

Cool pictures. I've been fighting the urge lately to try painting stuff because it looks cool. I want to do some shag art, some trees, some photo realism, some animals, some horse portraits, I could go on.

I say I'm fighting the urge because I've realized that if I actually want to become a good painter, I'm going to have to stay specialized and focused.

E. John Robinson, who passed away a couple years back, is one of my favorite seascape painters, I attended one of his week long workshops about 10 years ago, and then shortly after that quit painting.

I bring it up because he painted some 4000 plus seascapes in his life, and I'm sure even at the end he'd say he was still learning.

So if I can fight this bi-polar, mpd, schio brain of mine I'll actually be a decent painter in a few years.....

Heck, a couple trees on a seashore probably won't kill me

Gregory Becker said...

When I think of drawing or painting trees I think of paying my bills, not as it relates to selling art. What I mean is the paycheck is my whole and my bills are the subtractions. I dont know what to subtract until I have the whole in front of me. So, I tend to draw and paint as much as I can see then I eliminate and hopefully I have something beautiful when I am finished.
Now if I could just reproduce that sentiment on paper or canvas I might be able to pay my bills. lol
Great photos

Gregory Becker said...

All of these photos look like paintings and drawings waiting to happen. That third one has an almost 3d quality to it. Especially that thin trunk to the left leeaning in. Has a good feeling of space.

Carole Abla said...

I have certainly enjoyed this tree segment! So much good information. I always struggle with tree branches..... and this has been so helpful.

I hope in the near future, you will talk about incorporating clouds into a painting. I struggle with their formation.... and placing them into the painting. I want to get a "John Constable" effect! :)

Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with us.

Jo-Ann Sanborn said...

Each one of these pictures easily inspires a painting! Great pics, wonderful locations. It would be nice to see what you do with one some rainy day.

The tree series will become classic. It's great information, well presented to make makes sense.

Also very much appreciate your dedication to this blog. Sleep well.

Unknown said...

I love them all. But the last one is very misty, very mysterious.

billspaintingmn said...

Sometimes you have to "preach" to the choir!
They need inspiration to "sing!"
I can't think of any other way to put it Stape.
Your post feeds us so we can nurture the ones around us.
That 4th photo has all the charm
of praise as a church Hymn!

willek said...

Just ordered the book. Cheap enough for its verbosity. I think the right brush in the right place is key to getting trees right. This not so?

That Hibbard view I asked you about the other day. I found another version of it with a different cropping. He obviously did not doing scenes over again. His twig work in one view was absent and was simply indicated in the other.

Stapleton Kearns said...

Michael:
I think that you should paint a lot off different things. It will all relate to your seascape painting.You caan still make it most important. I intend to do a series of blog posts on seascape, but I probably don't know anything you don't.
..........Stape

Stapleton Kearns said...

Gregory:
I feel the same way sometimes. I may actually make a picture out of some of them. I took them for some reason.
.....Stape

Stapleton Kearns said...

Carole:
I intend to write a series on painting skies out there in the future. That could be a long series of posts too.
......Stape

Stapleton Kearns said...

Jo-Ann:
I am better now, having had some sleep. I burn the candle at both ends, painting during the day and doing all the other things it takes to have a home and family, and then writing at night. Sometimes I suffer catastrophic collapse of the will.
......Stape

Stapleton Kearns said...

M:
Thank you, that is my favorite too. I am almost ready to start a painting of it.
................Stape

Stapleton Kearns said...

Bill:
Thank you. I am sniping at the choir!I sang in the choir when I was young. I still love those old hymns.We had a wooden choir loft,all in golden oak, the kind with a little mirror behind the organist so we could see her play.

.............Stape

Stapleton Kearns said...

Willek:
You will enjoy the R.V. Cole. It is a classic.
There are at least three versions painted on that location by Hibbard., It was up behind his studio.There are now dozens of town homes just above that rock at a place called Bouldertop.

Unknown said...

Well Stape I'll consider branching out.

As to knowledge, you mentioned somewhere about seascapes being very formulaic, and this part of the process I have a good handle on.

I viewed those C. Vickery paintings and my thoughts were not just "hey this is a beautiful piece" but "I know this process, that method, that trick, etc."

However the execution is another story, and to get good at that takes repetition. Lots of it. I understand painting multiple subjects would be helpful, but I'm not sure about getting too out there, I love Sargent and Whistler, but I don't think I have that kind of time.

I've gained some valuable help from reading your blog here, look forward to your thoughts on seascapes and clouds.

And please, if it's not too much to ask, could you do a little on rocks?