Golden Winter II: A Landscape Painting

Acrylic on Linen Canvas

Golden Winter II, Acrylic on Linen, Size: 16” x 20”.

When I was younger, I always gave my loved ones something I made myself - a handmade present. I’d spend hours preparing greeting cards, photo albums with personal letters or anything that they like. I had a lot of fun doing this because the act of gifting is so pure and my only intention would be to make someone feel special. I think the best way to get the creative juices flowing is to make something for someone with love. It simply has a different feel. If you've ever received a personalised present, you'll understand what I'm talking about.

However, I have forgotten the art of gifting because being creative is my work. This is a side effect of monetizing your passion. Austin Kleon, in his book Keep Going, inspired me to make a gift for someone. There is no need to monetize each and every aspect of the creative process, and there should be something that is off-limits to the market.

“Dont make stuff because you want to make money-it will never make you enough money. And dont make stuff because you want to get famous-because you will never feel famous enough. Make gifts for people-and work hard on making those gifts in hope that those people will notice and like the gifts”

- John Green

I made this painting as a wedding gift for someone for which I followed a paint-along video. This is the first time I blended contrasting colours together that is purple and orange. When you mix opposite colours, you can end up with a dirty brown, but if you are careful, you will get beautiful results. It just adds more drama to the sky. I also love the reflection on the road. The reference image is not as contrasting but, when we are making a painting, we sometimes exaggerate the hues. Of course this should not be done everywhere; rather, it should be done solely in the painting's focal point.

Reference image; Credit: Alain Audet; Source: Pixabay

A close-up image with details

Golden Winter II

Materials used: Linen canvas, ultramarine blue, orange, cadmium yellow, crimson lake, titanium white, black. I also used some liner brushes for branches.

Happy Creating.

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