Evolution of a Work - 'Winter Field and Wild Cherry'

I like the peaceful feeling and sense of distance in this piece, which was inspired during a walk around a neighbor's farm.  In winter, neutral colors predominated, and the red of twigs on the cherry trees became even more prominent in contrast to the background colors.

'Winter Field and Wild Cherry' by Alice Kelsey - completed

I set up my easel and made this quick pastel sketch on location.  It was pretty cold, so there was no question of working for a prolonged time!  Even though I recorded only the bare essence of the scene, there is something about painting on location that enables me to see more and get a feel of the conditions of that particular day.

Initial sketch made on location

Back in the studio, I worked over the top of the field sketch (see image below), elaborating on the colors, emphasizing the pull to the distance with colors growing lighter and bluer, and the energetic tangle of the red twigs.  I liked the mood and feel of the piece, but I just didn't feel the composition was resolved.  My eye didn't move throughout it- rather the two trees in the foreground either drew my attention or my eye moved to the hedgerow... but the parts of the painting didn't seem to relate to each other, and the shapes didn't lead my eye to circulate throughout the painting in a pleasing way.

'Winter Field and Wild Cherry' part way done

For several months I was stuck on what to do with this piece, until one day after I hadn't seen it for a while, I pulled it out from storage and I saw what it needed.  I took out the base of the left hand foreground tree, and then cropped out the left side of the painting, leaving about two-thirds of the original composition (compare the pre-crop and final version of the painting below).  In this resulting square format, the movement from the right foreground tree to the hedgerow seems balanced and pleasing to me - my eye circulates freely through the painting without getting 'stuck' on any one spot.  I also simplified the shapes by quieting the colors in the fields, and taking out the underbrush in the left foreground because it created a visual barrier to the rest of the painting.

I really like this piece with its apparent simplicity, yet strong mood and lots of space and textures for the viewer to explore.  It has that harmony 'as a whole' that I strive for, and I'm really pleased when I can get it, like in this painting.  In the end, it really reminds me of what I felt walking on this land on that cold day (and my gratitude for being there).

'Winter Field and Wild Cherry' before cropping

'Winter Field and Wild Cherry' by Alice Kelsey - finished