Would you paint this?

[Mara Schasteen]

Never turn away a paying customer.... I have a client who wanted me to paint a memory. She emailed me some poor quality photos, which I combined for this portrait. I am not sure whether to call it a portrait or a landscape. There are no highlights, no shadows. The photos were taken on a cloudy day. I worked very hard to make the figures warm and appear as if they are really there. My question is, would you have painted this?

I haven't varnished this one yet and the paint is still wet, so my photograph is not the best. The colors aren't quite right since I photographed this painting in artifiial light last night.

size 20" x 24"
Faces are about 1" tall

[Alexandra Tyng]

Mara, In order to answer your question I would have to see the other photograph(s). Can you post it (them) here?

[Mara Schasteen]

Here it is, photo taken in Vail, CO.

[Alexandra Tyng]

Well, Mara, to tell you the truth I don't think I would have agreed to paint this unless my arm were twisted by a VERY good friend or perhaps a high sum of money and a lot of begging. I can see it is a problematic situation. There are some artists who love painting this kind of flat light. (You could study Jeremy Lipking's figures in landscapes.) The trick is not to vary the values or exaggerate the contrast too much. You are right to keep the colors warm.

The question of whether this is a portrait or a landscape is purely academic. It's more a question of where the focal point lies. Without the figures, your eye would follow the water into the distance, but the figures introduce a conflict. There is also the problem of scale. The figures, as small as they are, look too big for where they are standing. You might be able to get away with it, though.

Are you aiming for a likeness? This is important, even in small scale figures. The shapes have to be correct. I would pay more attention especially to the man's face, around his mouth area.

I've tweaked the photo in Photoshop because it looks too washed out and purple to me. The level of detail in the distance could be lowered a lot. There are a lot of hard edges in the rocks and distant tree trunks that need to be toned down. I suggest reworking the landscape in terms of color, value, and edges. Working with a larger brush makes a big difference.

[Mara Schasteen]

Alexandra,

Yes! You are right on with every point you made. I went out a took a better photo of the painting today, which I am attaching to this post for a more accurate representation. I knew this commission was going to break all the rules, but I am stubborn, and I always think I can get away with stuff. Oh! Everyday is an opportunity for learning.

[Claudemir Bonfim]

I would only accept the challenge if I could paint from life and not from photos.

I'd suggest you to add more cool values to the background and more warm ones to the first plane.

Check the horizon line, vanishing points and balance. This way you'll be able to reduce this "cut and paste" impression.