A Second Look at "Lonesome Lake"

I have been reworking a couple of paintings that I was not 100% satisfied with, and "Lonesome Lake" is one of them. When I first painted it a few months ago, I was trying to combine elements from different photos: the sky from one, the light on the mountains on another, and this in turn affected the reflections in the lake. And so the lighting and mood in the overall painting was inconsistent. This is a good lesson while painting. It's not just the scene that is important, but the values and color temperatures must work together to evoke the desired mood and atmosphere.

Sometimes when I just can't quite put my finger on what the problem is, it helps to put the painting away for awhile, and then have a fresh look at it. In this case, I realized that I preferred the photo with the sunlit mountains after all, so I lightened the mountains and their reflections, and darkened the sky. I also added a shaded tree and deepened the shadows in the foreground. Now the painting has a much greater sense of depth. So if you ever struggle with a painting, distance yourself from it awhile so that you can see it more objectively. Once you pinpoint the problem, fix it, or repaint it if it is too far gone. Either way, you will have learned something and you will come away with a superior painting.

Here is the original painting. I hope you agree that the new version is much improved, and that it invites you to sit down in the cool shadows to enjoy the view, or maybe to take your picnic lunch onto one of those rocks at the water's edge.