FISHING HOLE
Watch this time lapse video that was made using a GoPro HERO4 Camera
Prints of this painting can be purchased here now: http://www.inprnt.com/gallery/jeremiahjolliff/
If interested in purchasing the original artwork, contact me directly at: jj@artworkbyjj.com
An Original Oil Painting executed en plein air by Fine Artist Jeremiah Jolliff
Painting foliage in order to achieve realism is a tall order. We can review works of art back to the early dark ages to gain insight into how artist have attempted to paint foliage in the past. Even the ancient manuscripts of the worlds mystery religions have endeavored to communicate laden tree limbs. Many artists simply use a symbols for leaves and many others have attempted to paint every leaf and both somehow miss the mark. If the objects are close in a composition, I tend to heap the paint on thicker and thicker. Sometimes that oil painting technique allows for illusion and other times the only effective illusions works against the artist themselves in having the opinion that they have made a work of art.
As can be seen in this oil painting timelapse video, the artist must at first draw using Vine Charcoal and then re-draw using paint thinned with Winsor & Newton Distilled Turpentine. Straight Turpentine dries very quickly and that can work to one’s advantage especially when painting en plein air out of doors. However, using straight turpentine as a medium is inadvisable because it makes the oil paint dry flat. A good medium to use is equal parts Winsor & Newton Dammar Varnish and good old fashion Refined Linseed Oil. This oil painting medium works well when both painting alla prima in the studio as well as en plein air outdoors.
Overall, this painting was a challenge for me and demanded a lot of concentration because there was so much activity with the thick foliage and branches of trees going in every direction possible. Just around the bend in the stream there is a deep hole that is good to catch blue gill and small mouth bass on twin creek by Gratis Ohio. It is always a good exercise to be challenged when painting outdoors. after all, every painting is a learning process and the more creative we can become handling the elements of a painting the more success we will have in the future.