Unexpectedly the pink sky underpainting for "Roy's" was still wet this morning so I was unable to get on meanfully with it. Fortunately I had a connected painting waiting in the wings which I have now brought forward, "Stop".
Both paintings are starting with a basic pink/red sky colour but this one will have no dramatic clouds and instead have a hopefully beautiful glow in the sky over a deserted and slightly surreal landscape.
Whilst thinking about my work last night I came upon a phrase that somehow covers what I am looking for in these Roadside America landscapes - Beautiful Unease. I don't want to paint "pretty" landscapes but beautiful ones tempered by a background feeling of unease subtly put across by what is there or not there, for instance the absence of people, cars etc. Has something dreadful happened or is it just a very quiet time of the day? With "Stop" there will be a pretty desolate landscape but above it will be a (hopefully) beautiful sky. Humans have left their mark on the landscape as we see a crossroads, road signs ant telephone poles but...
Oil on linen 20" x 16".
This is the tonal underpainting for the landscape using my usual mix of Burnt Sienna and Winsor Violet thinned with Liquin.
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