Johnnie Liliedahl: Children by the Sea

PROJECTS INCLUDED:

1. Blue Flax

SIZE: 12" x 16"

TECHNIQUE: Underpainting Glazes, Overpainting Techniques.

CONTENT: 13 Pages, 3 Color Images, Color Swatches, Cartoon Line Drawing.

This painting was inspired by the works of E.A. Hornel and William McTaggart, both of whom peopled their paintings with joyful children in the innocence of their youth.

The composition is one of simple shapes, balancing the large, dark foreground with smaller areas of light and middle values in the background. It is a perfect example of aerial perspective, where the illusion of distance is controlled not by the drawing, but by the use of changing values and color temperatures from foreground to background.

The project is also a good example of how a broad color range can be achieved with a very limited palette containing only the three primary colors - red, yellow and blue.

2. Shell Seekers

SIZE: 16" x 26"

TECHNIQUE: Tonal Wash, Underpainting Glazes, Overpainting.

CONTENTS: 20 Pages, 6 Color Images, Color Swatches, Cartoon Line Drawing.

The warm tones of this painting derive mainly from the initial tonal wash, which covers the canvas before anything else is decided. There remain places in the final painting which are untouched after the initial wash and contribute to the unity of color in the finished work.

A composition as simple as this one may be presented in a variety of ways. The painting reads just as well as a cameo of either of the children or as a vertical composition.