The Sepia Solution

This painting was derived directly from the previously posted painting 'Sleeping Giant'; it depicts an assortment of alien objects set in an otherwise normal scene. In this version there is an eerie glow from the horizon, and the incubator object to the right has it's own light source illuminating the eggs in an amber yellow glow from below. The light from the incubator also reflects off the alien-orchid to the left, and illuminates the ground around. This painting is a good example of how a self-taught artist can continue to learn ... by being first critical and then using innovation to solve the problem.

The main change I wanted to discuss was the grassy field, which in the original looked thin and faded, and now looks rich and lush. To get that effect I put down a layer of thin sepia, which is an inky brown, which I mixed with some ultramarine blue. When dry I put down a bright green/yellow, which combined with the underpainting to create a nice earthy-green. I also used sepia to accent the shadows on the objects, which helped create a high contrast glow.

There were several composition changes to this version starting with a switch to a horizontal format which opened up the ground and gave the objects a more comfortable space to sit. I also downplayed the face element in the background, which gave the painting more depth (when you put detail in the background it brings the background visually 'closer' to the foreground thus reducing the illusion of depth).

5x8" cold press 2010