Painting from Field Sketches

Vardøhus festning, ca 1870

Norwegian painter, Peder Balke (November 4, 1804 – 1887), hiked around his native Norway, sketching the landscape; later using the sketches as the basis for studio oil paintings, in a romantic style.

This was the way landscape painters worked at that time. In any case, the inclemency of the Scandinavian climate would not have lent itself to completing works on site for most of the year.

Plein air painting is more the norm these days, but there are some  advantages to developing paintings from field sketches: the finished work  tends to be less literal and more 'essential'. The artist has to rely more on memory, which may infuse the painting with greater emotional depth. We tend to remember the essence of a place, rather than details. Also, it's difficult to complete large canvases on site. 

Elioth Gruner - Australian

1923, 29 x 34 cm


detail (note radiating brushstrokes in clouds)

Diagonal elements: distant slanting rain, and barely visible high linear clouds, add interest and energy to the predominantly static, horizontal composition.

Clouds over the sea - use grey/purples for the shadows under clouds. A little warm pigment - pink or a tiny amount of yellow - is often added to soften the white of the clouds, give warmth and complement the blue of the sky. Ultramarine blue or Cerulean blue are used for skies. Cerulean is perhaps a little cooler and greener, and gives more of a sense of distance.