Sunday, August 29, 2021

Palette Knife Evergreens

 It's been a while since I got the knives out, I managed to do just that this week and created a pair of related paintings. 

painting art knife nature pine evergreen trees
"Evergreen Hillside" acrylic, 12" X 16"

I wanted to keep these paintings very loose, almost semi-abstract.  I started by blocking the painting in with large brushes.  I do this not only to lay out the composition but also to cover the surface with colors that fit the composition so that I don't have to totally cover the surface with knife applied paint.  I think this works to create a bit more interest, even a little vibration in the painting as the slightly different colors peak through the knife strokes.

The subject is based on a photograph I took while walking around in the Middle Provo River restoration area in the Heber Valley of northern Utah.  The contrast of the green pine trees and the yellowish-browns of the high mountain desert hillside interested me, however I also added some brighter greens for the younger trees and plants.

art nature painting knife texture thick paint
"Two Evergreens on a Hill" Acrylic 7" X 5"

The second painting is a much smaller one based on the same concept, in fact I used no reference for this one, just painted the same idea from my own head and the experience of the previous painting.

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