Well, I paint figures a lot, but I realized that they are mostly about the grandchildren - not the landscape. I went looking for some photos that might show the larger view and found one of some girls on the beach. The three older ones had gone ahead and the younger one wanted to catch up. I really liked the way everything seemed to point to the distant vanishing point - the shoreline, footsteps and the dune/tree line directing the eye into the painting.
It began as a watercolor and of course, when I got it home and played with it more, it picked up a bit of pastel. After tweaking it for awhile, I was not easy with it and put it across the room to stare at it for a week or so.
Next thing I knew, I found myself picking up my 'corners' (pieces of mat board) and placing them in various ways to crop the painting. Perhaps a square?
Or maybe a vertical?
Last week I took the painting back to class and discussed my dilemma - to crop or not to crop? Where to crop?
OK, here is what I have re-discovered - I don't much like doing landscapes (horizontals). That shape painting is very stable, it really just sits there and stays put. (to me, that can be boring) And then there is the square which can't decide to lie down or sit up. Aha! The vertical shows movement and I find it much more exciting.
I don't imagine that this exercise will be something that I will add a signature to or put in a frame, but it has been an interesting challenge. Comments? Would you crop? How?
To me the first one shows scale and emphasizes the landscape-the square doesn't work and the vertical loses the landscape. You were right on with the first one-great challenge.
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