Return to the BIG Oatlands painting

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I wasn't planning on going back to Oatlands until this weekend, when I'm scheduled to be one of the plein-air painters again for the Loudoun Sketch Club, which is having an exhibit there through November 16. I started this painting on Saturday in full sun, and today was forecast to be partly cloudy and windy, so I didn't think I would go. It's supposed to get super windy again this week, and this weekend was going to be overcast, so I had resigned myself to finishing this painting from my photos. Not the way I like to work. 

But when I got up today, I saw that there was bright sunshine and very light winds. Change of plans! I quickly got my gear together and asked my husband to accompany me, and off we went. I got there around noon and painted until a little after three.

I corrected the color on the shaded sides of the house and put in the sky. I also worked more on the leaves of the Canna plants and put those brilliant red flowers in. I like the way the intense colors and gestural shapes of the foreground contrast with and create space between the garden and the house. 

I wasn't able to completely resolve everything out there, but I'm much happier with the state of the painting now. I will let it sit and look at it, and will go back into it with some minor tweaks to finish it off.


The mansion at Oatlands from the garden, oil on canvas, 31" x 25", in progress


Comments

  1. Symmes GardnerOctober 22, 2025 at 5:47 AM

    Great painting, wonderful light!
    The space you’ve created is powerful and captures the moment so we’ll!

    ReplyDelete

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