What a good feeling it was to begin the final landscape painting. In all, it took me around 60 hours of painting per canvas, which didn't include the preparation time. When you first begin it looks very blah and kind of scary, you're just painting in ground cover and shading behind things to come. And then, you'll probably change your mind and decide to do something different anyway.
I paint with pre-mixed acrylics and they are very flat and dull until you apply the finish coat of varnish or Matte spray. I have based in the house and added trees behind it. Started on the small vineyard at the right. I found that I really enjoy painting vineyards...maybe it's because I like wine?
When I finished with most of the house I decided that I really liked it and would have loved living here. Added some Cypress trees and dallied with the foreground color a bit.
Began the start of the path at the left and the foreground vineyard. Added some more Cypress trees.
Painting isn't the only thing that takes time. I like to take notes as I go for future reference. When I find particular color combinations or uses that I like I note that also. I experiment with different brushes to see what kind of foliage they make, so interesting. Don't throw out old, blown out brushes....they make great foliage patterns for bushes and trees.
Starting to look a got more promising. I painted over the pathways several times until I got something I liked. Added more bushes and started on the trees in the orchard at the lower right....added more Cyress trees!
Okay, I'm just 5' tall and it got to be a real pain, literally, bending over to add tints and highlights to the trees in the orchard. The saying "necessity is the mother of invention" is completely true. I used the plastic base of a 'paint saver' (It has a lid and you can put a wet, thin sponge inside, with your acrylic paint on it, cover it and it keeps the paint from drying out too soon)
In this case it was just the right width to raise my canvas up a foot. I used Frog tape (painters tape) to hold everything in place so it didn't come crashing down on my head. It was the perfect height for me to be able to stand straight and paint.
Beautiful, don't you think?
Ahhhh...now we're getting somewhere. Adding this foot bridge was perfect and I loved painting it.
Close up of the little shed by the edge of the vineyard to the right of the house.
Cypress of course!
The main house, close up. It looks so peaceful to me...l love it!
The finished Tuscan landscape #4....turned out to be my absolute favorite! Would you like to join me in the orchard with your favorite wine, Italian herb bread and some cheese? Then we can harvest grapes for the next batch of Riesling.
Got my pictures mixed up here at the end, no problem.....#4 is finished and I did paint the stucco and brick window. All four paintings sold at auction. By the way, did I tell you I love Cypress trees?
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