“Shadow Break” 6×8 oil on panel

Over the weekend I started a new exercise: 30 days of value thumbnails. This study is based on thumbnail #1, another scene from our trip to the Grand Tetons. I liked the way the light broke through and illuminated the grass and path that were mostly in shadow.

Value thumbnail of simple shapes

Block-in using ultramarine blue, alizarin permanent, and transparent earth red

For the block-in, I tried something new by mixing a dark purple for the areas in shadow. Since they were mostly greens, I thought it would complement the greens well. Two issues I had with it though — I covered most of it up with green paint, and it seemed to skew my values darker than I wanted in the foreground. I’m having a hard time getting my green values right, and they seem very muddied up. I want to work on a way to mix clean, yet earthy, greens.

I like the way the distant trees and reflections in the water look. I found them easier to paint because the shapes were simplified and the colors were relatively light and neutral. Once I moved into the foreground area I was very unsure about my brush strokes and how much detail to include. This gave me an idea to work on some mini paintings so I can continue to explore color mixing and relationships without thinking too much about details and brushwork.