I tried painting my way through a Category Four headache today, but looking at the results I definitely lost the plot. That moon is not sitting on top of its reflection. Oops.
Here’s a photo showing today’s starting and ending points:
So do I move the reflection (by repainting sea blues) or move the Moon (which will entail repainting the sky as it’s layered colour not solid)? Or, as the in-house critic’s suggested, enlarge the Moon to the left (which means just repainting the Moon).
I would suggest painting the sea and narrowing the reflection
I suspect this will be the easiest! I’ll look at it with fresh eyes today and decide where to go next.
I would simply paint out the moon – blend the reflection out some to make it less obvious. The moon is demanding too much attention and taking away the focus of the painting at the bottom. You do not need the moon to convince people that this is a night scene.
As the sky is varied through layering, painting out the Moon will entail reworking the whole of the sky so it doesn’t feel like there’s a bit that doesn’t fit. It’s a possibility, but if I do that then I’d probably be inclined to redo the Moon because of the images in my mind of the Full Moon over the Minch, which is the part of the inspiration behind this. You’re right that it doesn’t need the Moon, but I like having it.
Marion, I would enlarge the moon. It’s low enough to the horizon that it could be bigger. I did the same thing in my very first acrylic painting! Best wishes, Esther
That’s the in-house art critic’s preferred option, and certainly the easiest. I will decide once I’ve had a fresh look at it.
I like it the way it is. The painting makes me feel a little uneasy, like the moon is a minute or two ahead of its’ reflection. It has a surreal quality that I love. It is a beautiful piece of art.
Thank you! Afraid I’ve reworked it now, but hopefully you’ll like the end result (when I get there) too.