Lavender Field Painting

"Lavender Field"
2014
oil on canvas
24 x 36 inches

Exciting news on the art front: I just finished my first commissioned oil painting!

Our friends, Martin and Celeste approached me when we had moved to Seattle area in January. They have a spot for art over the mantel in their living room, and didn't know what they wanted to put there. They told me that they realized that they both liked my painting style, and asked if I would be interested in painting a commission for them.

I was so flattered, and was happy to do it. We agreed on a size and price, and I asked them to sort through some of their favorite photos to see if what might make a nice painting.

This image was their first choice. It is a photo that Celeste took during one of their visits to the San Juan Islands (near Seattle). It's a place that they love to go to, and it's just beautiful. We agreed that it would make a nice painting.


Martin and Celeste's original photo.

I showed the photo to my painting instructor, Dean. He agreed that the photo would make a good painting, but had a few suggestions. He suggested that I use photoshop to create a few different composition options. He thought it might be a stronger composition to crop the photo, and alleviate the sky. He also suggested pushing the machinery further into the image so that it isn't so much in the foreground.

I created three different options, showed them to both Martin & Celeste, and Dean, and we all agreed that this was the strongest composition: Cropping out the sky, and pushing the machinery back a bit.


The final composition

While I was with Dean for a lesson in San Francisco, we did some quick sleuthing, and found out what exactly that piece of machinery is. Turns out it's an antique Manure Spreader! Who knew?! (and kind of funny!)


photo an another, more intact Manure Spreader

Once we got the composition figured out, it was time to start this painting!

One of my favorite parts about completing a painting is to have a chance to look back at all of the photos that I took during the process. I learn a lot about the process by seeing all of the stages of the painting next to each other. I usually post the progress of my paintings, but decided not to do it this time, since it was a commission. I'm happy to put them all up together now.


initial pencil sketch on canvas


filling in the color


adding more detail to the lavender fields and the machinery


working on the background


I decided that the lavender fields were getting too dark, so I started to lighten them up a bit here. I also added more of a darker cast shadow under the machinery.


I concentrated on the machinery, and added a LOT more detail during this session. I also straightened out the boards in the back of the truck. I was so happy with how the detailed components of the machinery turned out after this session. There were few changes to it after this. Dean had also suggested that change the shape of the path, so that the eye wouldn't travel in a line from left to right, and right off the canvas.


This was a big turning point: I had sent Dean a photo of the painting at this point (the image above) and he suggested that I needed to push the background area back (the trees and the lake) by changing the colors to blue-gray-greens. I mixed a glaze of bluish-gray and put it over those background elements. It made a huge difference immediately of pushing the background further back, and giving the painting a lot more dimension.


after finishing that last session, I sent another photo (the one above) to Dean. He suggested that there were still too much yellow in the background/trees. I took out the yellow-green, and replaced with more blue-green. It made the background lighter, as well as cooler. One last thing I changed was the level of the lake in the background. I brought the tree line lower so that the lake was flatter. That helped a lot.

At this point, I thought it was complete, but Dean suggested that for a commissioned piece, it's important to show it to the clients to make sure that they like it, and see if they think there are any additions that need to be made. He also suggested that I present it properly by putting a frame around it. He explained that for most paintings (especially landscapes), paintings don't look fully complete without a frame.

I went to a store and bought a nice frame to show it with. It really did make a HUGE difference, and did make the painting look finished. Dick helped me bring my easel and the framed painting to our front room, where there is more space and better lighting to present the art.


"Lavender Field" framed


presentation is everything!

Martin and Celeste came over last night to see it, and they really liked it! Yay! They each studied it for a few minutes, noticed the details, and asked some good questions. They are very happy with it, so I can now declare this painting as "finished". :)

I'll put varnish on it next week, and they will be back to pick it up soon!


Martin and Celeste and their new painting!

As an aside, this was my first landscape painting that I've ever done. It wasn't something that I'd ever really thought of doing, so I'm glad that I had the opportunity to do this painting for Martin and Celeste. Prior to starting this, I had been working on the Market Street Painting before this. I took a break on that painting to work on the commissioned piece, which turned out to be a nice change. It was refreshing to go from a painting with so many angels (that have to be precise) to one that allowed more flexibility and was more free-flowing. I'm really pleased with the process and how it turned out.

I'm excited to see the finished product framed and hanging in Martin & Celeste's home.