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'PEACEFUL CONNECTICUT VALLEY IN AUTUMN' by John O'Keefe


Composition & Materials

This was my fourth oil painting and first personal composition for an oil painting. Using pencil and paper, I roughed out this simple sketch. I decided to use a larger canvas size of 12x16. Up until this time I would select colors from a large tray of oil paints that I have in my studio. However, this painting was the first time I used a limited color pallet.


Painting tutorial for 'Peaceful Connecticut Valley in Autumn' by John O'Keefe - John's composition sketch
Sketched Composition

  • Support:
    Pre-Stretched & Mounted - Medium Textured Cotton Canvas - Acrylic Primed

  • Size:
    12 x 16 inch

  • Medium:
    Winsor & Newton 'WINTON' Student Grade Oil Paints
    Ultramarine Blue, Viridian, Cadmium Yellow Deep, Titanium White, Raw Umber, Cadmium Red, and Lemon Yellow

  • Finish:
    Winsor & Newton Damar varnish


STEP-BY-STEP...


Painting tutorial for 'Peaceful Connecticut Valley in Autumn' by John O'Keefe - Day 1
Day 1
Day 1 notes...
Using a medium sized brush I blocked in the sky, distant land features, near land features, and the initial layer of the dirt road.
 

Painting tutorial for 'Peaceful Connecticut Valley in Autumn' by John O'Keefe - Day 2
Day 2
Day 2 notes...
The painting had far to much blue so I began making changes to the sky colors, distant last features, and field. I blocked in, using raw umber, my hills to the left and right, and added details to the dirt road such as the wagon tracks. Finally I began to add lighting and shadows across the field and road.
 

Painting tutorial for 'Peaceful Connecticut Valley in Autumn' by John O'Keefe - Day 3
Day 3
Day 3 notes...
It was time to add the house and the smaller trees next to it. The house was positioned in front of a large field. The hills to the left and right were populated with small trees and shrubs.
 
TESTING THE TREES

I originally intended to add trees to this painting, however after the trial runs I was unsure about adding them. The final painting does not have trees. One day I may go back and add them when I feel more comfortable creating trees.

Painting tutorial for 'Peaceful Connecticut Valley in Autumn' by John O'Keefe - John's composition ideas 1
Computer experimentation with trees

Painting tutorial for 'Peaceful Connecticut Valley in Autumn' by John O'Keefe - John's composition ideas 2
Painted glass overlay with trees.


Painting tutorial for 'Peaceful Connecticut Valley in Autumn' by John O'Keefe - Day 4 animation
Day 4
(Painting-'before' / Digital-'after')
Day 4 notes...
I changed the field beyond the house to a body of water. I also added light and shadow along the road. I envisioned the sun setting off in the distance, casting long shadows. I added the shoreline along the far side to make the water look believable.

However, after looking at this painting for a while I decided I was not pleased with the lighting along the sides. Using my computer, I played around with various lighting changes. I wanted to get the setting sun reflected in the foreground hills to the left and right. Here is my final concept with a 'before (day 4 painting) / after (day 4 digital edits)' image.
 

Painting tutorial for 'Peaceful Connecticut Valley in Autumn' by John O'Keefe - Day 5
Day 5
Day 5 notes...
The 'after' changes from day 4 are incorporated into the painting and can be seen in this final picture.
 

FINISHED PAINTING



Finished painting 'New England River' by John O'Keefe

"Peaceful Connecticut Valley in Autumn"
12 x 16 inch (30.5 x 40.6 cm)
Oil on Canvas
John O'Keefe
Spring 2007




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