remember. Go back and forth like this,
working in four or five sessions of
painting. The painting does not need to
be finished, but resolve it as much as
you can until the main shapes, focal
point, lights and darks are fully there.
You can adjust these time frames as
needed – paint in a longer session if
you’re on a roll, observe longer if
necessary – but you may want to stop
and observe before getting too settled
into your painting.Studio memory painting
The second method for memory
painting is to go back to your studio to
paint a scene. You could paint one that
you have seen, that is still impressed
upon your mind. Or you could choose a
scene you have already painted,
something that is unresolved in yourhttp://www.painters-online.co.uk artistApril 2016 25
Kelly Medford
is a classically trained oil painter
specialising in Italian plein-airlandscapes
and cityscapes. She trained extensively in
the US before moving to Italy in 2004 to
attend the Florence Academy of Art.
After five years in Florence, Kelly moved
to Rome, where she paints daily in the
streets. She shows in the US and Italy and
works regularly to private commission.
Kelly leads small intensive workshops in
various locations in Italy, and has taught
for three years at Arte Umbria.
http://www.kellymedford.comFINISHED PAINTING
On the Path to Villa Pamphili,oil, 9 12in (23 30.5cm).
Only in the final stage did I add any detail and finish defining the overall shapes. Notice that
this is not a highly finished painting, but the main idea of the dark foreground with the path
leading to the light of the building is all there. There is no need to keep going unless I want to
take the painting to a complete finish rather than leave it as a sketchmind or was an unsuccessful first
attempt. Getting away from the scene
and painting or repainting it from
memory can help clear your mind and
focus on what’s important. The main
idea and overall design will come to
the fore when working from memory.
You are also freer to change and
rearrange, something not everyone
feels a lot of freedom with when
working on location.
Practising painting from memory will
help you to fix the lighting and a
moment in time on your canvas, and
eliminate extraneous details so you
reduce your painting to the most
important ideas and impress the scene
in your mind. If you understand beyond
any reasonable doubt what your focal
point and main idea are, your painting
will communicate it clearly to the viewer.TA