Composition clichees, Take Two

Ok, ok... after having uploaded yesterday's creation I saw it too: while eager to avoid one clichee - a path leading youse viewers into the painting - I firmly, and head first (as per usual), fell victim to another one: a stupid, trite and really corny framing of the view by a canopee of trees. Well, my excuse was that it REALLY, REALLY looks like that - and is it my fault if the world operates with clichees???

Where's the shade #2, study
Pen and ink in Moleskine, 26x21cm


Where's the shade #2, shadow shapes
Pen and ink in Moleskine 13x21cm

Na, in any case. This morning attempt no 2: keep the shadows, kind of lose the path and the leafy frame. A couple of studies were done to help me and then I proceeded on a slightly bigger board. This time a darkish blue meant that the world looked considerably more muted. There's more foreground, a bit (tiny, tiny) of the path and the shadow shapes. There is nothing to the right hand side other than a bit of emptiness.

Where's the shade #2
Soft pastel on board, 34x24cm

And all along I am beginning to long for something bigger and most importantly more abstract. All these studies are nice, worthwhile if not worthy, and good fun, but: they are really needing to turn into something else other than a place in time. And with the sketchbook and some plein air sketching I am definitely not getting there.

I want some glue, some paper, some acrylics, some ink to spatter generously across something large... Studio space is what my heart tells me... it'll have to wait a few more weeks to be back home, but it's beginning to feel like something to look forward to. Well, in the meantime: there'll be some more fields...

Oh... and another thought: OIL PAINTS... the smell of oils, turps and the headiness that comes with a studio full of cheap turps... hach, soon....