Student’s Comments:
What I like:
- ‘A water fountain in Figueres’ Acrylics on wrapped canvas 20×16 (50cmx40cm). I like that I succeeded to make this place look close and intimate by using aerial perspective and grades in colour saturation.
- By choices of colours and values, I think I managed to show the feeling of heat on a hot Spanish day and a wish to touch refreshing drops of cold water from the fountain.
- I used a limited palette of yellow ochre, red oxide and pthalo blue and I think that worked well to give painting unity.
What could be improved for next time:
- Next time I will pay more attention that the main focus (the fountain) is more pronounced by keeping other objects in the painting (bench for example) more out of focus. Also, I’ll keep in mind that objects that are to close to the viewer (like line between dry and wet floor and the shadow on the left side) also need to be more out of focus.
- In the future I will try to make my brushwork more pronounced in order to bring more energy into the painting.
Dan’s Comments:
Hi Donna!
Your name reminds me of the great Russian artist, Konstantin Korovin. Your work has a similar feel to his.
What I like:
- Love the composition. Unusual, but it works.
- You did a great job of capturing the illusion of light.
- I like the pleasing contrast of green against red.
What could be improved for next time:
- The black on the left looks a bit out of place. Too dark compared to the rest of the painting.
- Careful not to get caught up in tiny details. As Vincent van Gogh said: “Exaggerate the essential, leave the obvious vague.”
- The color change in the foreground (from light red to a slightly darker, richer red) doesn’t read well. The right side doesn’t look dark enough to be a shadow and the edges appear a bit too crisp. But hard to say without seeing the reference photo.
- Nothing more to say regarding improvements. Just keep refining your technique and get a few more paintings under your belt.