Aspen Series part 7....A Simple Twist

'Freedom'             9x12            pastel              ©Karen Margulis
sold

 I needed to paint without glasses. As my aspen series progressed I found my trees were getting more detailed. Perhaps it was because I was getting to know them better but despite my efforts I was putting in more details than I intended. That isn't necessarily problem. There is nothing wrong with having a higher level of detail in a painting  but  I wanted to simplify my approach to the aspens.

So yesterday I spent some quality time at being relaxed and playful and I painted several aspen minis. See yesterday's post here. I found that a few of them were much less detailed and fussy. That happens when I paint minis. These new little studies now have inspired larger versions.

One thing that I noticed with the minis is that I painted without my glasses. I only use readers and I rarely paint with them but sometimes I do use them when making my final details on a painting.  But glasses do what they are supposed to do....they make everything crisp and clear. Crisp and clear means I see more detail and I am tempted to put them in the painting.

For today's painting I didn't put my glasses on at all.

It wasn't easy. I wanted to see better. I wanted to see the branches and leaves. I wanted to see what was on the ground and in the distance. But I avoided temptation. Seeing my reference photo and painting ever so slightly out of focus allowed me to keep this painting simple.

mini pastel that was the inspiration
3.5 x 2.5     pastel     $35