I have slowed down my output to work on my technique. In other words, I spent enough time with a particular subject to be able to reduce the shapes down to simpler, more full forms.
This view is one that doesn’t necessarily exist in the real world. I’d say it was a product of my imagination, but I’d be lying. I asked for it from the artificial intelligence image generator Midjourney. I asked for a Northern New Mexico landscape in the style of Maynard Dixon.
It’s a pleasant scene and I liked the way the shapes have been broken down into their basic forms and value. I ended up painting it three different ways. The first image in the gallery was done with a detailed underpainting in acrylics. The second painting in the gallery below was done like a straight-ahead oil painting. The third painting in the gallery below was done with oil pastel underdrawing and is a square format, like the original.
Another improvement I have made is to install a computer screen nearby so I can have reference images on a screen rather than trying to print them out. It’s a drag trying to keep a color printer in ink, so I think this is a more efficient way to use reference images, and I have to say the results are positive.