Back in January, the wild winter storms led to impromptu painting sessions with my niece Maddy Watkins. With school canceled and Maddy stranded in Amarillo, we used the unexpected time to paint together. Although she is only 19, she has already developed her talent for art through classes and practice. She is an avid photographer and loves to paint. Being a nature-lover like myself, she is interested in landscape painting. In this blog, I wanted to share how we painted side-by-side during the storms!
Over the past 20 years, I have taught many children, teens, and adults how to paint, but I usually teach large group classes that demand structured approaches and planned projects. This was different, so I decided to take Maddy to my studio and wing it! First, I asked Maddy to rummage through my box of original travel photos and find an interesting image. She picked a mountain scene near Silverton, Co where we both love to visit!
Next, Maddy and I loosely sketched out our compositions on paper. We then discussed our sketches and decided to use bits and pieces from each of ours. We prepared our canvas panels with red acrylic paint mixed with GAC, a translucent, gloss medium to begin the painting. Once the red ground dried, we painted outlines with an orangey-red hue, mapping out the shapes and creating visual pathways. It all became collaborative as we mixed colors, chatted, and shared ideas! What started as a painting lesson for my niece evolved into a painting session with a kindred spirit.
I initially thought we would paint Alla Prima (or all at once), but after eight hours of painting over two days, neither of us was finished! Maddy had to return to Houston before our paintings were complete, so she took hers home for final touches. It took me several more sessions to achieve the look I wanted, but I love the final piece so much that I am bringing this one home! Check out my finished painting below!
After sketching out our compositions on paper, Maddy (on the left) and I (on the right) began to sketch directly onto the canvas panels!
This photograph shows our first layers of paint. We tackled the foreground first and worked our way up the canvas.
After the second layer of paint, things got messy! We both started painting intuitively, focusing on different areas.
After several more solo painting sessions, I finished the painting featured above.