Canyon Light

I love doing my abstract art...don't get me wrong.  There's something really magical about the poured paintings.  The images set my imagination spinning.  What am I looking at?  How deep is that space?  They are movement.  Forming and unforming.  Fascinating mysteries of color.

But then I've gotta come back down to earth, I mean real terra firma.  I have to paint landscapes.

Canyon Light, oil on linen, 22 x 28  @ Sue Smith 2007

I miss several things about my open studio, but one primary loss was the ability to talk to people about a work that was either in progress or possibly finished ( I use the word "possibly" because even though a piece is signed, it's never really finished as long as it's within reach of my paint brushes...a really bad habit , I know). 

I am open to all comments.  Please give me a critique.

One issue I've been having lately is with the photography...the water isn't really that blue, but it doesn't seem to matter whether I shoot indoors with a variety of light conditions, or outdoors in shade or overcast skies...my water (in several of the river paintings, actually) always reads a different blue.  I'm using a Sony cyber-shot, with 7.2 mega pixels, and I usually shoot using auto, programed and ISO settings to see which one comes the closest to the correct color.  Any suggestions short of taking it to a professional?

Comments

[White Balance]

One more important thing occurred to me. Until you calibrate your monitor, you're not sure to get true color representations. For example, my monitor could be so different than yours that what I'm viewing right now is an even more different blue to what you see. It's crazy isn't it?
Here's a sample of what I mean by color calibration (a tool to do it):
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/496186-REG/Xrite_XRCE_EZ_I1D2_EZ_Color_with_Eye_One.html

[Sue Favinger Smith]

Thanks. I know there was something about white balance in the camera set-up so I'll go back and see if I can figure it out. I live in Oregon, unfortunately, or I'd take you up on your offer.

[White Balance]

Sue,
You need to set your white balance. It'll give you much, much, much truer color. You can start by going to dpreview.com and searching on white balance or color temperature.

Where are you located? If you're around Austin or Dallas I could shoot some for you.