"Escape" 16x20 Oil Progression Images

"Escape" 16x20 Oil

Newburyport, MA

Here's the finished product for my latest oil painting. This was a tough one...so many challenges. First, I've always struggled with clouds, so right off the bat I knew this would be difficult. The perspective, the values and the temperature changes were all going to add to the complicated approach needed for this painting. If I had the perspective correct, the values were not. If the values were correct, the temperature was not. If the temperature was correct the perspective was lost...after about four months I'm happy with the final result.

Here's a quick look at how this painting came together. Honestly, I've taken so many pictures of the progression of this painting for so long, I can't find them all so there may be a bit of a jump...especially at the end.

I started off with a very bright underpainting similar to the start of "Beauty Before the Beast."

Quickly blocking in the direction and motion of the clouds beginning with my darkest values first. 

Here I started to come in with some local color laying out the shapes within the cloud cover. Placing some sky color in specific locations. Also forming my horizon line and coastal perspective for the water along the marsh. At this point i'm trying VERY hard not to cover my underpainting...this is key for the feel of this painting.

Here the painting really starts to take form. I've come in with a lot of color throughout the sky, the clouds and the foreground. The marsh came together by layering many greens and some blues to pick up the reflected color from the sky. After completing the foreground with brushwork, I laid the final layers with a pallet knife. The texture looks beautiful. As I filled in the water by the marsh, I made sure I left some of the orange from the underpainting to show the reflected light off in the distance behind the clouds.

At the horizon line I've really pushed the colors behind the clouds...adding yellows and blues to really give the painting a powerful feel to the sunset.

I've also started adding the bright colors to the large cloud to give the impact of the bright sunset showing through the heavy cloud cover.

OK...so here we go...

Looks a bit different, huh? Sadly at this point, I was very unhappy with where the painting was. I didn't like the values, temperatures, I lost the perspective, covered the underpainting...wow! The only thing I was satisfied with was the marsh! YAY...not a total lost cause.

At this point I decided to work on a pastel to clear my mind a bit...HAHA three pastels later, I'm back again!

I covered up so much of the orange, I really had to change my approach. First I changed the bright colors at the horizon line. I covered up the yellows and the bright blues and went with more of a subtle transition of the darker sky color from the top. Speaking of the top...the clouds at the top right were not working. I have gone back and forth so much I lost the shape of the clouds and muddied up the sky so I washed them out and came back in with them. I came in with a lot of liquin to create a transparent look to the clouds. I used a very nice mixture of Alizarin, Ultramarine and lightened it up with some Naples Yellow.

I've also really started to give shape to the clouds. I was not happy with the dark clouds on the right. They are too dark and not shapely enough. I've lost the perspective and they would meet the same fate (twice) as the clouds on the top right.

As you see the clouds have been replaced and I love them on the top right. I will continue to fill them in and lighten the clouds on the right. Still not happy with the perspective...they just don't feel like they are ominous and have that intimidating feeling that they needed. I've also lightened up the orange at the horizon line. I've pretty much covered all of that at this point so it no longer works the way I had envisioned. Still happy with the marsh...haven't touched it since I've added it at the beginning.

So here is where I've really jumped ahead with my progression...so much has happened...

One of the most notable is the bright orange at the horizon line is gone. It just wasn't working...was not working with the color scheme anymore. I love it now. I've really lightened up the values and feel the perspective really gives you the feel the clouds start off in the horizon and come up over and consume you. I worked really, really hard paying attention to the warm colors on the left, leading to the cool colors on the right. 

My favorite part is the horizon line. I added a nice stroke of the warm sky color at the back of the water peeking out behind the clouds. I love it!

So here it is in all it's glory...another gorgeous sunset in Newburyport! This was tough, this was a challenge...I'm very happy with the result, but happy to put it behind me. I continue to grow when I work on paintings like this. I'm already looking forward to the next cloudy sunset painting.

Thanks for looking, I hope you enjoyed this post and the painting as much as I enjoyed painting it!

See you soon!

-Jeff