Crossing Newburry Street Boston. A 9 x 12 inch on canvas that began as a demo in class. It went through many changes especially on the left side. Still not sure how I feel about it but a lot of thought into how crowded, not crowded enough, took out the white (my class will understand) and put in the cone for balance
Hi Aline! I'll be frank (you can be Ernest). This is not one of my faves of yours. One question: 2 blondes stand w/ their backs to us. To the left of the one in blue are two spooky dark images. When I blocked them out w/ my finger, the picture looked a LOT better. Are these shadows of figures you deleted? They don't seem to relate to anything so why not paint them out?
ReplyDeleteThe other thing that strikes me is the angle of the 4 figures on the left.The one walking to the right seems like she's going uphill somehow, & the couple in back downhill--yet the ground is flat. Perhaps a lot of this will cure itself when you delete the spooky shapes. If not, either emphasize the 'hill' (if it's there) or stand everyone up a bit straighter.
The man on the far left is in an odd pose w/ no 'explanation' in the picture. Maybe you could 'relax' him-let his arm & shoulders hang loose. Or pop an apron on him, put flowers in his hand, &make him a flower vendor. Or send him away completely with those spooky dark shapes.
If you do delete him, perhaps you could 'balance' things by putting more emphasis on the figure to the right of the blondes. OR, to make things easier, delete Far Left man & paint a lamp post in that spot. Nothing fancy, just one of those '3-stroke wonders' you are so good at.
Aline, I feel wildly presumptuous giving YOU advice! I hope this is OK & that it's one of the reasons you post your gorgeous artwork. After all, "Those who can, do/ Those who can't, uh..they sit around & give pointers to those who can."
OK. No more critiques. Except for this: how about some more pastels? Or will those come once your oil painting class is over? Probably. I'll be patient. It's not like you aren't wildly prolific as it is. I love your artwork, Aline.
Your talkative fan--MaryB
I LOVE your comments!! You make me laugh. And, I so struggled with everything you pointed out! The spooky characters were there, but not...reflecting my complete confusion about what to do there. First, not enough people, then too many...all a confusion. May just leave it and move on. And the guy to the left...I thought about calling this "Hey, lady...." but you might be the only one who would get it! I think we'd have such fun tawking!
ReplyDeletePastels will come. I guess I haven't been so into the process lately, but I do tend to go back and forth.
Keep being talkative...love it!
Okay, Aline, as you know I think I have loved every painting you do and this one I love as well. I, on the other hand, like these two figures in the background making them look further away than the others. When I first saw the two men on the left, I immediately thought they were looking up..after all...they are in the City! I love the color of the building and how the light hits it!
ReplyDeleteThank you Hilda. I remain unsure and feel grateful for all the feedback!
ReplyDelete