Yellow in the Middle, oil on canvas, 30 x 40 in.

Oil canvas, 30 x 40 inches

$5250 framed

In the studio

About this oil:

I came across this view some months ago and was immediately drawn to the depth of it, especially the sloped meadow and hill running through the center. It had a quiet strength from the start.

The challenge was the scene was entirely green. Every part of it. This made it harder to keep the painting visually interesting, I worked through several attempts before finding the right balance and along the way, some new ideas appeared and carried through as the painting progressed.

All was helpful and the painting continued to improve, but I felt it had had more potential.. The work was solid, but it didn’t quite have the spark I was looking for. The turning point came when I decided to take a different approach with the back hill. Instead of keeping it in the naturalistic green tones, I gave it a more dramatic red and blue treatment and that changed everything.

It was the shift brought the whole painting to life and it easily stands out from the other works in the studio, a pleasing outcome.