We returned from our last walk on the 'Kalmthoutse Heide' with a lot of photographs that can be used as reference for my paintings.
To prevent me doing the same thing over and over again, I usually start challenging myself after the first two or three paintings and here I set myself a double challenge.
I chose to work with a limited palette of only three colours. The three are selected carefully, when placed in a colour wheel made up of 12 colours, they are in the shape of an equilateral triangle. So they have a natural balance.
I have worked with this palette before and this is great for painting landscapes.
The second challenge I set myself is the high position of the horizon.
Usually I have my horizon positioned low, like the old masters did. So now I have a lot of land to paint and very little sky.
For this double challenge I decided to work on a smaller piece of paper than usual.
The scene is the bird sanctuary I painted before, but this time a bit to the left from my first painting. There is no real path, just some parts with moss, low grass and sand that suggest there might have been a path in the near past. The tree is waiting for warmer weather to let the leaves come out and the bushes are doing the same.
In the distance are evergreen trees and bushes, in front of them are traces of other paths visible in the moss and grasses.
My limited palette may have a natural balance, it is hard to get really dark values with these three colours without making a mess of my painting. So I stopped before that could happen and decided to suggest a bit more than I did in my latest paintings.
I really enjoyed working on this painting and the lessons I learned will be used to improve the next ones.
More information (colours used, size, etc) can be found at my website www.jannekesatelier.webs.com
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