When we go outside and paint from life,time can be very limited depending on the time of day. The piece below was painted on scene, outdoors, in the late afternoon when the sun was going down. But, I wanted to get a sense and feel for the place. It took about 35-40 minutes to finish this piece. I knew the colors would change at last light. In the desert, the last light is magnificent but only lasts about 10 minutes at the most. I knew the light would change the temperature, but I wanted to get a sense of the place with the shapes, values, etc. in person.

So, I brought the above painting back to the studio. The piece below is my studio piece. It was much larger in size than my painting from the field. You can see the difference that happens between the two. Of course, this was supported by photo references I brought back of the mountains. The first painting was cropped in more. The shape of the mountain in my studio piece came from the photo references. Also, I was there with the changing of last light that was happening (very brief, maybe 5-10 minutes) and I was in the area taking photos. I have painted this type of light before, so I have experience with this. But, without me doing the initial, on-location painting, I don’t think the painting would have been as successful. The values that I knew existed out in the field helped me finish this in the studio. It was not as much about color, but more about understanding values in the studio piece.

But, the importance of doing the painting from life study has to do with values. It is so key to experience this in person. The outdoor painting shows my point. Understanding our values from life, then bringing them into the studio is key to a successful painting. Once you understand the fundamentals of values, that can translate into the studio. It can’t be the other way around. If you are painting a landscape, you have to go outside and study it.

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