Outlet - Reference Phot & Introduction.

Welcome to Outlet. This tutorial is based on a scene at the outlet of String Lake in Grand Teton National Park. What first attracted me was the unusual arrangement of logs collected in the water. The light-colored logs against the dark water created wonderful abstract shapes in the foreground, including some logs that could still be seen beneath the surface. Beyond that active foreground is the quieter landscape of trees and the Tetons in the distance.

As you compare the reference photograph below with the finished painting, you'll notice that I didn't simply copy everything the camera recorded. I used the photograph as a starting point, then simplified, rearranged, and emphasized certain shapes to make the composition stronger. That's an important part of landscape painting: the reference gives us information, but as painters we decide what to keep, what to change, and what will make a better painting.

As we work through the tutorial, we'll look at those decisions along with the lights and darks, the abstract shapes in the foreground, and how they lead the eye toward the quieter distance. You can download the reference photograph below and use it while you paint along with me.