![]() ![]() When I’m not there he has the use of the ger for the reserve’s guests. So I’ve known him for a long time and am very grateful for being able to “live” in this very special place for a week or more a year. As of 2016 I bought my own ger with furnishings and have been given permission by the reserve director, who was one of the argali sheep researchers on the Earthwatch project, to set it up in the reserve. For the two weeks the team of ten of us were there it never got above 32F/0C (not exactly spring weather on the north coast of California where I live), with almost constant wind. It’s where I went on my very first one in April of 2005 to participate in an Earthwatch Institute-sponsored expedition to assist in research that has been carried out there since the mid-1990s. I go to Ikh Nartiin Chuluu (Ikh Nart, for short) Nature Reserve on every trip to Mongolia. Please consider becoming one of my valued Patrons! – This is one example of what I’m offering on my Patreon site…solid, experience-based information. “Mongol Wrestler” was awarded a Certificate of Merit in the Salmagundi Club’s Members Show in 2017. But if it hadn’t I would have painted over it with something else, most likely still letting a bit of it show through. I had to control both color and value so that the subject would still pop out, but keep that sun-drenched feeling. ![]() The gutsy move for me was the golden yellow background. When I shot the reference photo kinds of stuff were going on around him on the event field, none of which I needed and which would just get in the way. I cropped the figure VERY carefully, taking into account the overlap of the frame. Also the positive shape of the pose and the negative shapes that were then created in the background. I started by deciding that the painting would be about his pose and the light/shadow pattern. In future posts I’ll be discussing a variety of ways to approach simplifying your image.Įxample: here’s a 12×12″ oil I did of a Mongolian wrestler. While a good teacher or experienced artist friend can help, ultimately you have to decide what to do based on your vision (you DO have a vision of where you want to end up, right?) of where and how to simplify. But that’s ok as long as one is honest about it and is willing to keep trying. That, however, is a judgement call and the possibility exists that one will make the wrong choice. It’s much more challenging (and ultimately rewarding) to edit and leave things out. It’s easy to just accept what’s in front of you and put it in your painting or drawing, whether it’s individual the leaves on a tree or every hair of a coat of fur. I’ve always remembered one of the first things my Illustration II teacher at the Academy of Art told us, which is that “the simpler statement is the stronger statement”. “Mongol Wrestler” oil 12×12″ $950 (Salmagundi Club Summer Exhibition, Certificate of Merit) ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |