Grandpa's Barn

Hi Voy, what is that color mix in the grass? Is it cheap paint?

Hello Sunnylady,

No cheap paint used here, all Winsor & Newton. The mix is simply yellow ochre with a little base colour, mixed from Prussian blue, A. Crimson and VDBrown. Often I lighted it up with some liquid white or toned it down with some black.
i have to admit that the variety shows beter on canvas then on a picture.

In all, I should have done my own thing here and added more green colour in the grass, some small bushes ..... since now it shows rather empty. Although thus the focus lies on the barn, which is my goal.

Very interesting. I saw this color chalking in cheaper grade paints, I am surprised that W&N did this weird thing. I need to think about it. You succeeded with focal point, it is as you planned. Barn is the main character due to details and texture and path leading the viewer to it. Good job on the composition!

Funny that you called it grandpa's barn as my grandad had a barn very similar to that on his farm ( it's long since gone, just my memories remain of many happy days looking after his cows, actually my painting shed stands where that once did) I love the painting, the barn worked a treat 😁

I added an extra opening in the barn Sunnylady. What I recall from older Belgian barns that all of them have a man's heigth window at the top to stack the hay on the top floor (for drying purposes).

Actually Nivek, Bob called it 'grandpa's barn' and has to do with the specific structure I think. Modern barns are quite different nowadays.

How I would LOVE such barn as an art studio, amongst other things. Of course more enclosed then, some modern lighting, isolation ..... sigh! We don't live small here but would have no room for such dream.

Love your barn. It really gave me a time on this one. Sure understand what you're saying about the grassy area. I found that alternating the yellows with some darker green and adding some very light highlights here and there sure helped give it texture. Overall I think you've done a nice job with this one.

I saw your version Lori and it is the best of all those who tried.
The barn went very okay, I just had a lot of problems with foliage and grasses. In fact those grasses are on canvas three times as diverse as on the picture. Such pity!
Well, at least I will not be looking at the picture but at the real thing when I want to view this.

Odd thing happened today ..... where the big barn door had turned grey iso black overnight. Weird!

I read that dark colors (especially blacks) sink fast and colors dull more compare to the light colors. To fix and bring darks back will mean to varnish them. Or in case a painter will want to continue - retouch varnish need to be applied in smaller areas before painting on them to ensure they get correct tone/color. My honey yacht got all dull as colors are dark there. I am sure varnishing will bring purples from gray back.

Never heard that before Sunnylady, that is exquisite information!
The bigger door has been painted with a mixed black, so guess that's indee where the problem lies.
It was frightening though!!

So sorry to hear about your yacht, that creation is worth a million! Please save it!!

Beautiful job on this, I really like the barn and color of the roof, and the grass has such a soft look to it.

Luckily that barn is the centerpiece FVG, cause I'm not so wild myself about the grass.
At least now I know I can handle bigger buildings. A promise for the future?!