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ART CHALLENGE #
Finalist
Joseph Byrne South Carolina, USA, Sundown on Marsh, acrylic, 24 x 38" (61 x 97 cm)
My Inspiration
While camping down at the coast in South
Carolina, I take trips into the coastal
marshes to shrimp, fish or catch crabs for
dinner and I’m always observing the marshes
in detail. While heading to another fishing
spot, I stopped by this area that’s in my
painting and loved the view. The color on
the spartina grass was beautiful and I knew
it would change in the late afternoon. I did
some quick sketches and took some photos,
but it wasn’t the time of day that I wanted to
paint. I also paid attention to where the sun
and shadows would be in the late afternoon.
I then went off fishing. I came back a little
early and watched the changing colors.
The sun was starting to set and I watched
the spartina as it started to glow and the
shadows became longer with hints of purple.
I did some more sketches and took some
more photos. All the while, the actual
location revealed its beauty.
My Design Strategy
The image of this area is burned in my
memory. Even though I take photos and
do sketches that I refer to while laying
out the master sketch, I’m always working
toward my mind’s eye. I’ll refer to my
reference for information that will help
an area. I paint subtle details in shadows
because they’re there, but I don’t want
them to be overpowering or distracting.
I painted the foreground low key, with
subtle details to keep the viewers interest,
such as the spartina edges and pluff mud
banks. I designed and painted the receding
channels to direct you farther back into the
painting. The forward pine trees I added a
little backlighting and I painted the far trees
being kissed by the sun.
My Working Process
I’ll spread out my sketches and photos all
over my working area. I then do quick
thumbnails and work toward what is in
my mind. By this time I have edited down
all my reference to a few. I then start
working on a master sketch in proportion
to the stretched linen, which I’ll grid it
and sketch in on the prepared linen. If
it’s a complicated landscape, I’ll pay more
attention to the details in my master sketch,
which I will copy and project to save time.
I project very little because I like to draw
with a brush, and I just want a road map or
reference point. I underpaint the scene with
acrylic washes, mixed with acrylic varnish,
using different colors, always keeping in
mind what I want on the top layer.
Contact Details
» Email: [email protected]
» Website: http://www.josephbyrneartist.com
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