Pick this apart for me?

[Sharon Knettell]

Personally, I do not care to do landscapes and only do them if there it surrounds a figure!

The problem, as I see it, is not the degree of finish but the competition between the landscape and the figure. Both are equally important in your picture and I think that the baby should dominate.

If you were to greatly soften, cool and lighten up the background it would still set the scene but would not overpower the baby. The baby and the distant background have both the same degree of finish. If you were to look at that figure from life in that situation and looking directly at the baby, you would note that the background would be out of focus. Try softening it up a bit.

I think you would be happier with the result. Nice clean job with the pastels! I know how messy they can be!

[Karen Barton]

Thanks for the input, Sharon. I will try that. One area I need to work on is softening the areas that are not the focal point. I guess I am not confident enough that they will read as rocks and weeds, (not having as much practice with landscapes) so I push the details. Maybe I can just scumble a lighter shade over them now that they read well.

[Chris Saper]

Hi Karen,

My comments are perhaps just expanding on Sharon's insight.

There is a loss of depth and atmosphere necessary to create a sense of space between the subject and the background, which is happening, I think, for several reasons. The edges where the rocks meet water are among the sharper edges in the piece, and uniformly so. Because the rocks are also as saturated, or more so than the subject they don't stay behind the subject. Lastly, in the bottom image, the rocks have a lot of yellow, compared to the image at the top. Yellow is the first color to fall away as a landscape recedes. You could take quite a bit of license here, given the humidity that accompanies the sea shore, by desaturating and cooling the rocks.

How large is this painting?

[Karen Barton]

Thank you Matthew! I've been working in pastels for about 16 years now. I love them!

Hi Chris,

It measures 17x7. I have worked on it some since the last post. I think I am getting closer to what it needs. Your suggestion about the yellow is good. I will try that too. I added some bluish gray, and lowered the contrast beween the dark cracks and the highlights on the rocks and bushes. I will photograph it again tomorrow for your comments. Thanks so much.

[Karen Barton]

I had to wipe out the hills behind her completely and start over. Do they recede enough?

[Chris Saper]

Yes, there's a much better sense of distance now.

[Karen Barton]

Thank you Sharon, and Chris!

I agree!! It was worth the trouble for sure. I have learned a valuable lesson! Thanks so much!!