Cathedral Glimpse - Oil On Canvas

9 X 12 Oil on Canvas Board

August 16, 2012

This was the final painting I completed in the summer art class taught by Richard Abraham. During the class I worked from several of Mr. Abraham's original works and this painting was no exception. It was a good summer class and I believe my painting and painting process improved as a result. Most importantly, having to paint for several hours a week in which my time was devoted strictly to that pursuit was very beneficial. 

I learned as much from observation and listening to the instructions given to class mates as I did those given to me. It was helpful to have a knowledgeable oil painting teacher to step in at strategic moments and demonstrate technique directly. I learned several key things in this summers classes:

1. Color mixing and structuring a pallet to go from dark to light.

2. More careful brushwork. (It's not impasto, it's coverage)

3. I learned to keep color values closer. (keep from making the brights too bright. Closer values, done correctly make things more believable to the eye).

4. Step back from the work every so often. Take a walk backward from the canvas and observe the work at a distance.

5. Detail is important, but not in the beginning. As tempting as it might be to fill in the detail, avoid doing most of the detail until the end of the painting.