 Starting a new piece is always exciting, but you can’t get your hands in the paint, until all the compositional details are worked out.
This landscape was more of a portait of a property than anything else, so I had to be true to the elements in the piece. But I did take artist license with illimination of many items on the property that were not vital to Ranchita’s identity and that would ‘clutter’ my composition.
I also struggled a bit as to whether or not I wanted the 3rd horse…and where it should be placed. So as I often do, I made a thumbnail clipping and moved it around the canvas stuck with tape.
In these initial planning stages, I am building a map that I want you to use as your eyes travel around the painting.  If you have a poor map, then your viewer’s eyes are going to go left to right, by nature, and then be finished. Â
To keep their eyes traveling in circles around each piece with gentle stops on my points of interest, I use composition, value changes and lighting. I double-check it in my mirror to fool my own eye and then when I am happy…it’s time to get the brushes out.