[time-lapse oil painting] Mini painting of Quidi Vidi, Newfoundland

Here’s a little landscape time-lapse oil painting of Quidi Vidi, Newfoundland.

Quidi Vidi is the sweetest little fishing village on the outskirts of historic St. John’s, Newfoundland. It’s one of my fave walks because it’s just a 5-minute drive and you feel miles away from everyone as you scamper about the hills and cliffs.

[ click on the video above to watch a time-lapse of me painting an 8″ x 10″ oil painting ]

I was just finishing my hike around the hills of Cuckold’s Cove, when a golden late summer afternoon sunset the village aglow. And it was spectacular. 

(And yes, it is called Cuckold’s Cove. Newfoundland is the land of interesting names, including Dildo Newfoundland, which had a little run with fame recently on the Jimmy Kimmel show. )

Isn’t that dreamy? Like out of a kids’ book. So I had to paint it.

The colour palette of the sun glowing through the trees is so fascinating. This is one of my favorite paintings because of it. I think this would beautiful fabric!

In the photo you can see that the camera blew out the colour of the sun. It’s over-exposed. Remember, cameras aren’t as good as our eyes. You can’t expose for the ground and the sky at the same time. So my I added more yellow to the sun, to make it look more like it really was that day.

The original oil painting took about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Gotta love mini paintings.

Oil painting tools I used

Paint: water-mixable oils

I’m painting in the alla prima style using water-mixable oil paint. I have a bunch of mixed brands, but mostly Winsor Newton and Cobra. 

Paint colors

I am using:

• lemon yellow
• cadmium yellow
• cadmium orange
• cadmium red light
• alizarin crimson permanent
• ultramarine blue
• phthalo blue
• viridian green (hue)
• titanium white
• yellow ochre

Brushes

I am using all kinds of brushes and painting knives. The one I am using at the beginning is a big stiff synthetic brush. I like how it keeps a sharp edge. Also, natural bristles get soggy in water, so synthetics are good for water-mixable oil paints. 

But I like bristles because they are stiff and make really interesting brush marks. And I like painting knives because you can make very smooth marks with no bumps.

That’s it. 

Remember, the road to mastery is made with mini-steps – and mini paintings. 

This was my first time really painting glow through the trees. So interesting to really look and see what’s going on.

I find than when I paint on paper, I am really in a more experimental frame of mind and willing to take risks. It’s just paper! Give it a try. Pay attention and see if you are following your impulses, or are saying no to them… let’s do it the same way we always do it. Catching your thoughts while painting is really inciteful.

Have you tried painting sun through the trees? Or tried painting on paper? Let me know in the comments. 

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