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Quiet Pond

Jeffth 10 Oct 2022

My version of quiet pond. I did this one at a point where I had been trying to make up paintings on my own and had grown tired of the internal struggle, so I set out to follow Bob line for line in an attempt to take some weight off my shoulders. I ended up making some changes with the foreground. I'm pretty happy with the way this one turned out.

Oils

Comments

Nice painting, especially those distant trees. It can be difficult to get that subtle look. It seems easy, but it's also easy to make mud. Yours have a lot of faint variations going on. Well done.

And I can relate to the internal struggle you mentioned. I had the same struggle. Finally, I just began dropping in a sky, some clouds, maybe a mountain, and stepped back to see what I had...and to see what the scene was "telling me" to paint next. Suddenly, it was fun coming up with my own unique creations.

Good job on this one. I like it. 👍

Thank you for the insightful comment! :D When it comes to creating original pieces, I struggle mostly with the foreground. Color choice, composition, and placement are hard for me. I wish I had an undo button so I could try various things until it looks right. I'm still learning what makes something 'look right' within the piece as a whole.

I honestly think we, as amateur painters, put too much emphasis on the composition elements. #1...Have fun. #2...Paint what you enjoy painting. #3...With practice, we get better and better. Doesn't mean we won't make mud every now and then. But we'll be moving in the right direction. After all, as I said, we're amateurs. 🙂

agreed. But it seems like no matter how hard I try to relax and not take it seriously, I just can't. I guess I've always been a perfectionist...even though nothing is ever perfect. I struggle with getting into my own head, and I just want everything to be a masterpiece. I got in to this hobby to experience the asmr of working with paint on canvas, but it's morphed into an obsession for making beautiful art. I hope to one day get there. In the mean time, hopefully I'll learn how to let go and just play, as Bob often said.

Best thing I can say is the more you paint, the more experience you get and the more confidence you get. With confidence, you start to relax while you paint. My last painting, I literally dropped in the sky and mountain in 10 or 15 minutes. Normally, that would have taken me 30-plus minutes to do...maybe an hour. Now, I have the experience to know that I don't have to agonize over a sky and mountain. So, keep painting.

Thank you for the encouragement. Maybe passing through Agony City is a rite of passage, haha.

Agony City. 🙂 Funny.

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