Monthly Archives: September 2017

Landscape Oil Paintings with Old Barns

In this series of three 8×10 landscape oil paintings with old barns is currently offered via eBay auction. You can click the image to go straight to the auction. Bids begin at only $49 for these gems. Each are painted on a linen panel!

This New Mexico inspired scene is also showcased in my short oil painting video lesson.

landscape oil painting old tin barn in New Mexico by Byron

Next is an old red barn found near Winnsboro, TX.

landscape oil painting old red barn by Byron

And finally in this series a landscape that was originally inspired from a trip to Montana.

oil painting landscape old red barn next to road

Hurry the auction ends Sunday, October 1st, at 8pm central time. Ending times are staggered by 7 minutes for each.

Thanks so much and happy bidding!

Oil Painting Video Demo: Old Barns

In this post I wanted to share with you a short two-minute Oil Painting Video Demo: Old Barns.

Alla Prima or the Direct Method of Painting

In this tutorial, the subject of old tin barns, which were found in New Mexico made a nice subject for this painting demonstration. The direct method or alla prima approach was used in which the entire painting was completed in one session.

Oil Painting Tutorial; Old New Mexico Barns

Thanks for watching!

Oil Painting Composition Critiquing a Critique

In this blog post I decided to talk about oil painting composition, critiquing a critique.

While researching the subject, I came across a respected artist and author who was using works by other artists as examples where composition mistakes had been made. The artist/author then suggested solutions for improvement and did so by modifying the image.

Respectfully, the author did not include the artist’s name to which he was critiquing. However, one example caught my attention.The painting being critiqued was done by an all time favorite master artist named Clark Hulings! I recognized it from a 1999 show catalog that I have.

WHAT’S WRONG WITH THE PAINTING? (Nothing as you will see)

This is the Hulings painting cited as an example whereby a painting composition “rule” was broken.

Clark Hulings Goat Milk Vendor

The so called “rule” was avoiding strong geometric shapes, even if naturally occurring as they can be too distracting.

A strong triangular shape produced by the apparent shadow of a building at the bottom of Hulings painting was the culprit. I agree with the rule to an extent, but everything in a composition is relative to the artist’s vision and even if some supposed rule is broken, yet it serves a legitimate purpose, so be it.

A Composition Improvement? Maybe not

Here’s the modified version suggested by the artist/author which was recreated. The suggested improvement was variegating the shadow, thus breaking up the geometric triangular form.

Is this really an improvement? Here’s my analysis.

Critiquing the Critique

Let’s take a look at the shadow without the chicken along the left side of the triangular shape and the scattered darks near the back edge.

Obviously the shadow overwhelms the painting and your eye drops to it. However, Hulings did two things. First, he added the chicken and broke the line. Secondly, by adding the scattered darks near the edge of the canvas he softened the line and kept your eye from exiting at that point. Obviously, Hulings was aware of the geometric shape.

The goat milk vendor is the obvious focal area. In the so called improvement, the eye now drops and travels in sort of a merry-go-round fashion.

This is not necessarily a bad thing. However, in Hulings original painting the eye stays at the focal area, held in place by the arrow formed by the shadow which lines up and points to the center of action.

It’s true that no artist is free from making mistakes, however, my conclusion is that Hulings was too much of a master painter and in this instance, he deliberately kept the painting as it was to fix your attention on the primary subject.

In Conclusion

The story of the painting is clearly about the goat milk vendor who takes his goat and instead of delivering the milk in bottles, the householder comes and offers a pan and the vendor milks the goat on the spot. How’s that for fresh?

Everything else in the composition is subordinate to the story and the focal area of action. Hulings didn’t make a mistake. He kept that strong shape for a legitimate reason. He used it to make you look where he wanted you to look. So to repeat: Everything in a oil painting composition is relative to the artist’s vision and even if some supposed rule is broken, yet it serves a legitimate purpose, so be it.

Reworking an Oil Painting: Before and After

Reworking an oil painting: Before and after photos. Which do you like better?

In composing a painting, sometimes there’s a hard to define problem in which the solution doesn’t come to mind until later. Sometimes, much later. Such was the case with Lapis Hues of Spring a 2013 bluebonnet painting that was shown in a gallery, but never sold. Looking at it once again with a critical eye there was now clarity as to why it would never sell.

Perhaps I was experiencing a dark mood when I painted it, and subsequently cast its ugly shadow onto my painting. It was supposed to be a beautiful sunny spring day in Texas. The painting did not give off that impression.

bluebonnet oil painting

bluebonnet oil painting

Finding a Solution: Sunshine and Openness

The problem wasn’t in paint application or detail or for that matter the basic composition. What was wrong is that the mood of the painting was off. It lacked the feel of sunshine and openness.

Here’s a little exercise for you. Look at the two paintings and notice the differences which are fairly apparent. Click the images for a larger view. But ask yourself, how do the changes you see support the idea of sunshine and openness? You’ll see more openings in the trees. Openings that give glimpses of the landscape further away. There’s more contrast and intensity of colors and a little more variety in flowers and a reduction of the cactus which seemed too imposing in the original image.

A Special Offer

Reworking a painting this long after it was first done is something I rarely do. So with that in mind I’m also doing something I rarely do is offering this William Hagerman signature painting at nearly half for what one this size retails for. Currently this revised painting is offered on eBay as a fixed price item of $1600.00. Normal price for a16x20 varies from $2700- $3000.

Update: This painting is now sold.

My best,

William