Assignment 4 Landscape painting with mixed elements and features

I have started to work on my assignment painting. I had initially decided to work on a painting on a scene at Dunham Massey as a photograph I had taken included deer, figures, linear perspective, trees and sky. I completed the sketch below to start to plan the scene.

Having drawn out the house I have started wonder if this isn't the scene for me! There is not enough shadow, or trees, plenty of greenery but that's predominantly grass leading potentially to a painting lacking in depth. 

After thinking about this overnight I have now decided to switch my focus and select a different landscape. I realised that my place of work, Quarry Bank Mill is somewhere picturesque, somewhere I have an affinity with and an affection for, and hopefully this will help me in creating a landscape which I will enjoy painting. It is also a place I can observe on different conditions and that also incorporates the different elements specified in the final assignment remit. 

Preparation sketches:- Quarry Bank Landscape

Sketch

Loose colour study - I decided to just have a play with the composition in watercolour before starting to formally plan the assignment painting. For the above colour study I was observing the tones and shades in the secne based on a number of photographs I had taken. Particularly of note at this stage is the paler trees in the distance behind the mill, the shadows on the chimney and the almost black tones of the tree in the foreground.

Sketch

Linear sketch and notes - I found this sketch helpful to simply experience drawing the details of the mill building, and settling my thoughts on the composition. This sketch although fairly rudimentary was a really useful process as it highlighted the need for me to resolve a method relating to the windows of the mill ans the best approach to painting these.

Sketch

Chimney sketch using aquamarkers - I enjoyed just working into and looking at the shape and structure, this sketch and the one below were useful exercises in observation of the details.

Sketch

Chimney sketch using soluble graphite

Sketch

Practising the window and brick wall washes - I decided to use masking fluid to block out the white of the window frames, and although tedious to complete all the windows in this manner, I felt happy after this experimentation was completed that this was the most suitable method to proceed with.

Sketch

Further tonal washes and sketchbook notes

Quarry Bank Landscape

Assignment 4 completed landscape

For this assignment painting I have chosen to include linear perspective, sky and trees.

I think I spent more time thinking and worrying about this painting than the actual painting itself! I did however feel that the skills I had learned in this particular assignment enabled me to plan the final piece appropriately and select the correct painting methods for the different areas of the painting. I was careful to ensure there was the appropriate level of detail and hopefully I have achieved a "finished" effect with this painting - mindful of my previous feedback. It could perhaps be argued that the foreground needed more definition be I had decided to used an interesting blend of greens, combined with use of layers of masking fluid to give a layered tonal effect, which I hope complements the detail of the mill and chimney to good effect.

I chose a scene which included a tree to frame the scene as I felt this would create interesting contrasts between the darkness of the tree trunk, and the lighter areas of the mill and the chimney where the light is highlighting areas in the brickwork.

I must admit to feeling relieved that this section of the course is now complete. Amongst other things I have most definitely learned that landscape painting is not really for me, I really struggled with motivation and inspiration for this and the previous assignment, as an textile student I can see the relevance of the colour and tonal theory and how this can directly transfer to the textiles degree pathway, but I have really had to push myself hard just to get through this last assignment. I really hope that my paintings do not reflect this "forcing" of my creativity, but essentially that is really how it has felt. 

The pressure is now on to complete the final assignment of this module by the 21st November, but I am remaining optimistic that I will find more to enjoy in the final assignment so hopefully motivation will not be as much of an issue.