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On the Rocks on Santa Rosa Island

10/11/2012 11:20:08 PM by Marian Fortunati
8 Comments

"Santa Rosa Rocks" -- 8x8 Oil on linen
"Santa Rosa Rocks" -- 8x8 Oil on linen



Perched high on a steep rock, I tried to keep my balance while enjoying my time with adventurous friends on the Island of Santa Rosa in the Channel Islands National Park.  The rock formations were unusual and beautiful even on this overcast morning.
Happily, I completed my plein air sketch without falling or slipping down the side of the rock!

 

"Santa Rosa Rocks"

 

On the third day of our trip, we arrived at Santa Rosa Island.   From the painting you can tell that the skies were overcast.  We had been on the island during the trip last year and had hiked up to the top through the torrey pine forest.  This time, however, our anchorage was on a different part of the island and the most striking feature were the wonder wind and water shaped sedimentary rocks that edged the coast.  

We hopped into the rubber dingy and the crew motored us the the beach where we had to jump out at just the right time to try to stay as dry as possible between wave surges.  This would normally not have been too much trouble, but since we were all carrying our paint gear, it was a bit more difficult.  

Comments

8 Responses to On the Rocks on Santa Rosa Island

Hi Marion. Good job and a nice design (shapes). Love both the value and color contrasts. Good expressive piece.

A couple of things to watch out for, technically, are 1) tangents of shapes, 2) spacing between shapes, and 3) curvature distortion. The first two you're probably familiar with, but curvature distortion is what happens when you place rounded objects in the near foreground. They tend to warp the spatial sense and seem to bend the landscape (in this case the seascape), downwards rather than keeping the surface plane flat.

We see upward curves within a landscape (here the foreground rocks) as hills, so we want to go vertical when the subject plane (ocean) needs to be flat. It's also common in photography as the curvature of the lens bends the image to a greater extent at the edge of the len's focal plane when projected onto the flat back of the camera. It's the distortion problem we all have to deal with.

I know those rocks were probably rounded, but here's a case where you might consider making them a bit more angular to counter this issue. Keep it in mind and try it out in the future.

Sorry to have missed your show, but my G4 is in the shop for repairs, and wouldn't you know it, I couldn't find a pirate ship anywhere here in the desert to ferry me over.

Posted by Russell Black · via marianfortunati.com · 167 months ago

Hi Marian, great painting!

I just read Russell's comments and don't see it the same way. To me the painting suggests the height in the waves on the right ready to crash down and the water on the left as the ebb. However, I do agree about the round rock on the right - says the non-painter :) I wonder what others will think.

Posted by Sue Pownall · via marianfortunati.com · 167 months ago

Wow, Russell... Just board your pirate ship and head on over!!
Thanks for the good critique. It's always my problem. While I KNOW I can and should move things around and change them to make the painting a better piece, I often am trying too hard to capture the reality of the scene. Actually those rocks were what was so unique about the place. So for now... I'm leaving this as it is. But I always appreciate your advice and will try to keep it in mind the next time I'm faced with odd rocks like this.

Posted by Marian Fortunati · via marianfortunati.com · 167 months ago

Hi Sue... Thanks... I've decided to leave it like it is (like the pirate Russell would like me to be)
Sue... you might enjoy Russell's blog. He writes clearly, paints beautifully and has great insights into drawing, painting, notan and other such things.
http://dailypaintersofutah.blogspot.com/2012/10/demo-sketch-russell-black.html
Enjoy!

Posted by Marian Fortunati · via marianfortunati.com · 167 months ago

Nice Painting Marian.

Ruth

Posted by Ruth Housley · via web · 167 months ago

Whitney would tell you that painting a "real" world existing in three dimensions on a piece of paper (or canvas), having only two dimensions is impossible. Therefore, all paintings are abstracts by nature.

Picasso would say that the lie of the illusion (the painting) tells the truth. So, there is no need to copy the scene.

If you want it the way that it is, become a photographer.

If you want it the way that you feel it, become a painter.

If you want to drive yourself crazy, then paint photo-realism!

The best thing about art is that it is subjective. The worst part about art is that it is subjective.

As Spock would say, "...facinating."

Posted by Russell Black · via marianfortunati.com · 167 months ago

Russell, you have some very interesting observations. I just did a show and another artist asked how I find such great compositions to paint. I told her I didn't find them, I created them. I move trees, shape mountains and change what needs changing. After all, I am the designer of my art.

Posted by Sharon Weaver · via marianfortunati.com · 167 months ago

Good answer. It's interesting to note that one of this country's greatest artist, Thomas Moran, realized this on a trip to England to study the best artist of the day, Turner.

Moran took copies of sketches made by Turner out to the specific locations and found that Turner had moved things around to make better compositions. Moran's comment on this revelation was this, "The literal truth counts for nothing; it is within the grasp of any one who has had an ordinary art-education. The mere restatement of an external scene is never a work of art, is never a picture."

We must remember that picture making is our job. We are not reporters of truth. We are the creators of fictional stories that speak the truth.

Posted by Russell Black · via marianfortunati.com · 167 months ago

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