Friday, July 11, 2008

Landscape Paintings - Reference Photos for Painting


Firstly, here is the link to My Etsy Shop - please feel free to visit, where you can buy prints of some of my favourite paintings.

Also see my Art Designs on clothes for sale. Visit http://shopvida.com/collections/voices/jim-shanahan to purchase beautiful designs of my art on clothing. Beautiful flower designs and others on scarfs and tops. Enjoy and have a chance to buy a unique item - not available anywhere else or in shops, created by me!!
 
Also today, here are some reference photos I pulled off http://www.wetcanvas.com/ which I felt were worth a second glance. Wet canvas has a large stock of reference photos and I intend to use the occasional one. I hope to go through some of the numerous photos I took myself over the years and given time I want to create some sort of art reference database of my own.

Technology is wonderful! Digital photography has really freed up a lot of the time needed to gather reference material. Of course, there is always the Plein air approach, something I never really tried, due to the unpredictable climate we have here in Ireland. Actually, to be honest, we don't have a climate, we just get weather, and lot's of it!! You never know what it's going to do next. Not sure what day summer is on this year, but will make the most of it.


One good thing about the constantly changing weather is the variety of light conditions we get here in the Emerald Isle. This is especially noticeable on the western seaboard. Many artists are captivated by the way cloud and sun combine here, often in very dramatic ways. So there is always something new to see. Have a look at some work by a famous Irish landscape artist Paul Henry, View over Lough, Slieve Mor-Achill, and Cottage in Connemara.


Seeing all these beautiful reference photos, I feel ready to start another painting, so keep checking in to see some work as I progress. And feel free to check out my ebay auction while you're here. That's it for today.

1 comment:

Photo Canvas said...

There’s something about a spectacular landscape, whether it's a barren semi-desert scene or rolling green pastures, that makes my fingers itch to capture its essence on canvas....