Photo © Jeff Watts
"Mendocino Morning" by Jeff Watts. 11x14" (28x35cm). Oil on canvas.
From the Artist: Thanks for another challenging project. It took me a while to get the hang of it; I probably scarped my canvas clean five different times. I read that it's important to use a light touch. And they really mean a "light touch". It felt a lot like I was sculpting rather than painting. Sometimes it helped me to hold the canvas in one hand while I applied the paint with the other. While I did mix some colors on my palette, mostly I used the paint right from the tube and let it mix on the canvas.
All along I planned on coming back to this painting to increase shadows in the face and to clean up colors that bleed together, but really couldn't figure out how to do once it had dried. I think the wet-on-wet technique is really what makes these paintings interesting so I left it alone.
I photographed this rooster at a California vineyard maybe six years ago. I was happy to find a reason to turn it into a painting.
From the Painting Guide: Painting with a knife is significantly different to painting with a brush, and some people give up too quickly because it seems not to be working. But as your majestic cockerel shows, perseverance can be well rewarded! Just look at those feathers, the feeling of direction, depth, and texture.
I think if you had gone back into tidy up things you'd have risked overworking it. Colors that bleed together from working wet-on-wet can be very beautiful, and in this instance mimic the variation some fancier breeds of chicken have in their feathers.
As for increased shadow on the face... given the sun is rising behind him, I guess it ought to have in theory, but I think it'd detract from the beauty of his plumage. It's a situation I'd use artistic license rather than "being realistic".
Things to Consider When Looking at This Painting:
Composition: It's likely the edges of the photo have been cropped a bit to square it up, but as it is in the photo the cockerel comes very close to the top, left, and bottom edges. If the painting were framed, you'd lose a fraction more.
All along I planned on coming back to this painting to increase shadows in the face and to clean up colors that bleed together, but really couldn't figure out how to do once it had dried. I think the wet-on-wet technique is really what makes these paintings interesting so I left it alone.
I photographed this rooster at a California vineyard maybe six years ago. I was happy to find a reason to turn it into a painting.
From the Painting Guide: Painting with a knife is significantly different to painting with a brush, and some people give up too quickly because it seems not to be working. But as your majestic cockerel shows, perseverance can be well rewarded! Just look at those feathers, the feeling of direction, depth, and texture.
I think if you had gone back into tidy up things you'd have risked overworking it. Colors that bleed together from working wet-on-wet can be very beautiful, and in this instance mimic the variation some fancier breeds of chicken have in their feathers.
As for increased shadow on the face... given the sun is rising behind him, I guess it ought to have in theory, but I think it'd detract from the beauty of his plumage. It's a situation I'd use artistic license rather than "being realistic".
Things to Consider When Looking at This Painting:
Composition: It's likely the edges of the photo have been cropped a bit to square it up, but as it is in the photo the cockerel comes very close to the top, left, and bottom edges. If the painting were framed, you'd lose a fraction more.