Season 9 Recap

In season 9, I have leaned more into the power of contrast. I’ve taken more risks with the colors of the sky and becoming more comfortable with blending my acrylics a bit better than previously. I’ve realized that I should never start my paintings on the white, but to start with a general wash of color to help build up my colors and to keep a cohesive palette from top to bottom. I still think my trees could use some work, but I’m getting more comfortable with the elements within the landscapes.

Favorite Painting: This is a tough one, but I think Episode 3 Red Sunset is one of my favorites. I took some risks with a dramatic sky, but I felt so in control with blending everything the way I wanted. I also love how I was able to carry out that lovely glow throughout the entire painting and my foliage in the front actually feels less like one large blob and more like individual brushes and plants.

Least Favorite Painting: Episode 1 Winter Evergreens. I think this one was probably my weakest only because I had a bit of a hard time making those trees not look all the same and so uniform. It’s tough to do evergreens with a tiny brush and I made the mistake of using the liner brush to create the trees, which gave a bit TOO much of a uniformed, neat line for the limbs instead of a nice bushy look of the pines. I had to go in and rough it back up with a dry brush and add some different colors to give them a bit more dimension and look less flat. Not a huge fan of the foreground snow either.

Painting I Learned The Most From: Tough to decide, but I think Episode 5 Winter Oval forced me to think within an even smaller space. Whenever Bob changes up the format of the painting, I feel like it challenges me a bit more to recalibrate my technique. This one was a challenge, but I think it came out so cute. It’s also one of my faves!