Wet Paint - Tuscan Barn

Tuscan Barn, oil/canvas, 24"x48"

This is the kind of light that I've come to really enjoy -- light that falls over my shoulder -- creating large shapes of color and texture. This Tuscan barn was a wonderful discovery. It's similar to subjects that I enjoy painting near my home in Pennsylvania. The large sweeping fields that lead you back into distant spaces.

What I enjoy about the Italian landscape are the expansive views. The color is mediterranean; siennas, ochres, warm whites, all the earth tones come into play. What captivated me in this painting was that little spot of red ochre on the roof of the barn. That little shape set the whole composition.

There is a study for this painting on Landscape a Day, Italian Study 03-04-09.

I've included some close ups to show you some of the details in the painting. I hope you enjoy.

Here you can see the variety of the brush strokes and how simple they really are (click image for a larger view).

Working with opaque color, in a weaving like process, over transparent glazes creates a tremendous sense of depth in space (click image for a larger view).

The distant hill with it's mingling of warm and cool tones, kept in the same value, create an effective atmospheric hillside (click image for a larger view).