CHRISTOPHER VIDAL
  • Home
  • The Artist
    • About my work
    • Media/Publications
  • PAINTINGS
    • Paintings for Sale >
      • Landscapes
      • Plein Air
      • Still Life
    • Commissions
    • SOLD Paintings
  • Tuition
    • Online Art Coaching
    • Workshops & Demos
    • Student Works
  • Products
  • Blog
  • Contact

Artist Christopher Vidal  - Blog

Welcome to my blog. The aim of this blog is to share with you some of my experiences related to my artworks, what inspires me and also how it is done. As an artist I am also constantly learning as this is an ongoing process. I also learn from my students when I am teaching in the class. Sharing what I know with others is also very satisfying. This is how we grow and improve. 
I've been teaching art for a while now, and I must say that from this I learned a lot. This helps me to identify what each individual needs in order to become a better painter. Painting is not an easy task especially landscape painting. One needs to have the inspiration to paint a tree or a mountain and it is not a question of just wanting to paint something. I choose to paint something because there was an element that motivated me to do so ...that inspired me. It could be the game of light and shadows or simply the warm colors of a late afternoon. It is sometimes very difficult to translate the colors that nature shows us using paint on a canvas. This challenge could be also a way to motivate you to paint a scenery. 
Most important is that you do not expect that every painting that you paint is going to be a masterpiece. You shouldn't be afraid that your final product is not what you expected in the first place. An unsuccessful painting should be the teaching ground for a better one that follows. This is how we learn. We learn from our own mistakes and from things that didn't work out as we wanted them but with an effort we try to make them better the next time. 
So if you want to become a better painter then you have to practice and paint regularly. This is the only way how you can improve your techniques, discover ones of your own, learn your colors etc. It is all about brush mileage. The tutor is there to help you find your way, shows you the basics and how to use your tools in order for you to be able to develop yourself. 
Looking forward to share with you my knowledge.

Painting Katherine Gorge - Northern Territory

24/2/2021

0 Comments

 
I visited the Northern Territory eleven years ago and one of the places I visited was the Katherine Gorge at Nitmiluk National Park. Couple of months ago I decided to do a painting of a view over this gorge.

As a surface I used a piece of fine linen attached to a wooden panel and primed with an acrylic ground. I started by toning down the canvas with a wash of burnt Sienna, wiping off the excess with a cloth leaving a mid-value warm undertone.  Next I drew a sketch from a number of reference photos I had of the area, organising and placing the basic shapes in the right place, constructing an appealing composition, using the river to lead the eye into the picture. Using a carpenter's chalk line I marked the main lines of composition following what is known as the armature of design.

The next step was to block in the basic colour of every major shape of the composition, focusing on the tonal values. This layer is also know as the grey layer, because all colours used are of lower intensity (low chroma). By the end of this stage, I got all the major values and objects in place ready for the next phase of the painting process.

The third phase is the most intensive as one needs to revisit every section of the painting, adding more colour while adjusting the light and dark values in order to establish form. Starting from the sky and then moving gradually towards the front I started adding more paint, emphasizing the light and adjusting colour and values as needed. Since in this painting I had a lot of rock formations, I used the painting knife to create more form and texture especially in the foreground. By the end of this phase an almost finished painting was obtained.

The painting was allowed to dry for a number of weeks before I started revisiting it again, doing more adjustments to resolve a number of issues I was not happy enough. The techniques used as from this step onwards are glazing and scumbling. In the process one will also be adding more detail, colour variation, transparency and depth. During this process I did some adjustments to the clouds and added more detail to the surface of the water gradually bringing the painting to a finish.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    As an artist I want to share with you my experiences and what is behind my artwork. Every artwork is an expression of the inner self. It is driven by experience. 

    Archives

    February 2025
    January 2025
    September 2024
    August 2024
    June 2024
    February 2024
    August 2023
    May 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    June 2022
    May 2022
    November 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    July 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    June 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    July 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    September 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Copyright 2025 christopher vidal.com.au
ABN: 99673806422
  • Home
  • The Artist
    • About my work
    • Media/Publications
  • PAINTINGS
    • Paintings for Sale >
      • Landscapes
      • Plein Air
      • Still Life
    • Commissions
    • SOLD Paintings
  • Tuition
    • Online Art Coaching
    • Workshops & Demos
    • Student Works
  • Products
  • Blog
  • Contact