A Surrealistic Sunset In Acrylic

Still on a role with these miniature paintings!

My fourth post-card sized painting in this media and format. I don't know why but I do love sunsets and the colourful displays which are possible. This painting is actually based on a reference photograph which I "borrowed". I never actually copy - I am not clever enough for that, but inspect my reference photos (maybe try one or two thumbnail sketches) and decide how I am going to tackle my version.

I decide on:-

• Size (although to be fair this is often decided and I look for subjects to match)
• Format (portrait / landscape)
• Media (for me, the choice is watercolour, pastel or acrylic)
• Colours (I often use alternative colours to express the mood I am trying to capture)
• How to simplify the chosen subject (I usually do simplify most of my paintings as it is colour and texture which I use mostly in my artwork)
• Exactly which elements of the reference to include (or I may add something else to tell the story I am describing)
• Lastly, knowing what I am going to do, I decide how I am going to tackle it. Maybe which colours to lay first, will the colours be built on layers or individually laid down and such mundane but important constructs. Will the be laid wet-on-wet or otherwise. Do I need to do any drawing before putting down any colour.

Finally, I am ready. And once I do start the actual painting I aim to finish it as quickly as possible. I am not like many of my art group colleagues who will spend week after week on the same painting. Often necessary for the realistic work they choose to paint. I am a fan of the slap it on and watch it dry school of art. I always did like the impressionists way of working. Work quickly to capture the light of the moment.

Well after all that crap, here is the painting itself:

In the reference photo, the foreground trees / bushes were in silhouette, I decided to capture an earlier time before the light was completely gone. The foreground is therefore completely from my own artistic dictionary.

Well there it is, I hope you like it. Having used up all my postcards(?) I will have to try something else next week. If you enjoy my miniatures, check out one of my posts on my atc-sized miniature canvas paintings - also acrylic.