Impulsive Artistry : Afterglow - Acrylic Landscape Painting + Video

“Afterglow”

Light or radiance remaining in the sky after the sun has set.

Good feelings remaining after a pleasurable or successful experience.

Turning failure into success can be a hard pill to swallow in life. We want our plans and projects to succeed but must face the fact that it doesn’t always go as smoothly as we would hope. Sometimes the best way to move forward is to go back to square one and start again. My wife recently had to make this decision when she decided to go back to school this fall and get a second bachelor’s degree in Engineering. Her current degree in English didn’t have many career avenues that were attractive to her (she was never interested in teaching, even from the start).

While not on the same level as a major life decision, in art, which to me is a good reflection of life, we sometimes have to start again to make progress. Today’s featured painting, “Afterglow,” my latest acrylic landscape, was a “square one” painting. Several weeks ago I started a sunset painting with a composition not unlike my oil painting “Last Light” (video below), but while I was working, I inadvertently added too much white to my color mixes and “washed out” the piece. To avoid this you need at least one strong, pure color to hold the work together. Adding too much white to my mixes was admittedly a rookie mistake, one that meant that I needed to begin again.

“Last Light” (Part 1) – Painting Video

The title “Afterglow” captures both the definitions at the very top; it accurately describes the state of the sunlight in the painting, and my feelings after successfully completing the work. There is nothing quite like the thrill of stepping back and looking at something that you created, especially if you are pleased with the results. My failed, “washed out” sunset painting, served as a great under painting to my successful new work, “Afterglow!”

Materials you need to paint this work:

16x20 inch Canvas

Large Bright Brush

Large Filbert Brush

Drop Cloth

Easel or Flat Surface

Palette

Water Cup

Acrylic Paint:

Naphthol Crimson

Titanium White

Mars Black

Cobalt Blue

Prism Violet

Cadmium Yellow Medium

Afterglow (Part 1) – Acrylic Painting Video

Etsy Shop – Buy My ART!

All of my paintings are for sale at the Impulsive Artistry Etsy Shop:

ETSY SHOP LINK

Consider buying some great original art for your home or office. You can also contact me via Facebook to commission a work.

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Question of the Day:

How do you handle starting again at square one?

Let me know in the comments below or on the

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Thanks for stopping by today here at Impulsive Artistry. I wish you all the best with your creative projects this week. When we have square one days, learning to turn our failures into successes is an important part of life.

Have a fantastic artistic week,

—Charles

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