Inside Light Source, Visual Weight in Art, My Painting Ballerina Tying her Shoes, Degas

I have not finished my above painting, Ballerina Tying her Shoes.  I wanted to discuss inside lighting as well as visual weight. My painting is descriptive; I was not emphasizing my usual power, grace, etc. The focal point is the area where the dancer’s hands are tying her shoes. Although the focal area has the lightest lights it does not have the darkest darks. There are many art elements that have visual weight and attract the viewer’s eyes. A figure has visual weight; next the face and then the hands carry visual weight.  In my painting, the face is partially hidden and looking in the direction of the hands, my focal point.

There are problems when painting the light source inside a room. It is usually best to have one light source or one strong light source and a weaker light source. When painting figures inside a room there is usually more than one light source. In my above painting there were originally strong light sources from above. I changed the light source to a single source from the right. The artist, Degas was a master at using different light sources. Light sources on his dancers might originate from above the figures, below and from both sides of the figures. In Degas’ painting, Blue Dancers, the light source is above and strikes both shoulders and arms.

 
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Contrast of Art Elements Enhance, My Painting Waterfall in the Mist,Monet

In previous posts, I have written about the elements of art. Contrasting elements enhance each other. This is also called simultaneous contrast.  Artists frequently use contrasts of hues in their paintings. In the detail of my painting, Waterfall in the Mist, the muted blue color enhances its complementary color orange. Other elements of art when used in contrast create enhancement. The solid texture of the rocks enhances the flow of the water and vice versa. Contrasts of value (gray scale) or intensity of colors enhance each other.  A triangular shape will be more evident amongst a number of square shapes. In the above painting by Claude Monet, the blue hue enhances the orange hue.

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Maintaining Unity & Complexity in Art, My Painting Lake Rock Formations, Degas

In my above painting, Lake Rock Formations, I was attracted by the light, shadows, local colors, and overall form of the rock formation.  I was concerned about the different values (gray scale) of the planes breaking apart the overall shape and form of the rock. While I did connect some planes of similar value, my concern remained. I painted a simple background to contrast with the complexity of the rock formation. The light is coming from the right front side. My critique group felt I had maintained the overall form of the rock formation. It is best sometimes to connect shapes of similar values, i.e. dark values, to maintain unity.  In Degas' above painting, New Orleans Cotton Office, Degas has painting multiple figures of different values. He has maintained unity by connecting the dark values.

 

In my painting there are 3 bright light areas. The largest area done in impasto was my focal area. I painted 2 other areas in a more muted light so that the brightest area was to some extent repeated.

This is a digital painting using traditional oil painting techniques and a painterly approach. I used virtual brushes and paints (Corel Painter 12 and Intuos5 drawing pen and tablet).

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