Thursday, June 11, 2015

The making of a small oil painting on wood panel: "Couple eating a snack" by Dominique Amendola


I began with the wood panel support, made of birch plywood of the best quality. I sanded and primed the panel 3, 4 times. Every time a new coat of primer was applied I carefully sanded it. To paint on those wood panels is a pleasure: the brush glides on the surface and allows very fine brush strokes, unlike canvas, which is a bit rougher. There are many different types of canvases, from portrait (very fine) to rough. There is cotton canvas, linen canvas, and even synthetic cloth canvas. Anyway, if the consideration of weigh when shipping a painting was not a problem I would always prefer painting on wood, because the brush just glides on the surface and very fine details come out superbly.
With this painting, I did not want details, however, rather I was looking for a contemporary impressionist look.

Please see the brush strokes in this detail view:



Also, my idea was to have the viewer focus on the figures rather than the background. I therefore kept all surrounding elements monochrome and used colors only on the figures and bench. I also believe in "key notes" in my artwork. These "key notes" are usually two colors contrasting and one color being the "key". It is more or less what is called a split complementary color scheme as shown below:


As you can see I used purple( the girl's shirt) and orange ( the bench) contrasting with green (the girl's pants).

The composition is also very elaborate: The girl's leg being a diagonal is inviting us inside the picture, while the boy's legs stops the eye from going out of the picture. As we learn in Social Media, not to take people out of a website by using a link directing them to another website and therefore distracting their attention, similarly, the artist always endeavors to keep the viewer's eye riveted to the  artwork. See compositional diagram below:


However, the most important thing in a painting is the emotion and no technique or tricks can replace the emotion conveyed in an artwork. 
In this painting, I felt the peaceful attitude of this couple, satisfied to take a break on a bench near a store front and this is what I desired to impart to the viewer.

To purchase the original artwork: 

To purchase a print of this painting:


WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE MORE ART? WOULD YOU LIKE TO ORDER ORIGINALS OR PRINTS DIRECTLY FROM THE ARTIST? PLEASE VISIT MY SITE: http://dominiqueamendola.com

Oil paintings executed in nature, with or without people, and beautiful color images, sometimes executed outdoors or in the studio. Some compositions are horizontal or vertical. Some pictures have beautiful skies with sunsets or blue horizons. Some paintings represent flowers, some water, some are green with grass and trees. Some will take you to exotic travel destinations, such as India.This is art. Figurative realism by contemporary artist Dominique Amendola : figures painting, landscapes painting and spiritual art, artwork for sale. Oil paintings for sale online. Virtual Art Gallery realism, figurative, landscape, spiritual art, by contemporary artist Dominique Amendola. Collection of figurative contemporary - Women - canvas oil paintings, acrylic paintings, pastel drawings. Oil painting on canvas, original paintings art. Artwork by Dominique Amendola for sale. Oil painting on canvas. Original paintings art for sale by Dominique Amendola


To see more art go to my site:
Dominique Amendola-California, US, India, France, Classical realism and impressionism figures and landscapes painter





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