Demo: Lisa Takahashi - Painting aVibrant Landscape in Oils
An excellent demo. Lisa is a very accomplished landscape painter who enjoys the immediacy of capturing a scene en plein air. Members might remember her appearance on Landscape Artist of theYear. She loves painting in oils. Her painting approach reflects a love of Impressionism, Expressionism and Modern British painting, and in her landscapes she likes to evoke a sense of drama and energy by keeping brush marks impulsive and loose.
She began by taking us through the materials she uses.
A few brushes, round, flat and fine hog hair and synthetic, which she wipes in between colours
Gamblin solvent free mediums and Gamsol for transparency and fast drying and Old Holland paints because of their high pigment and luscious texture:
Mixing White (Daler Rowney Georgian), Titanium White Fast Dry (Gamblin), Indian Yellow Orange (Old Holland), Indigo (Old Holland), Warm Grey Light (Old Holland), Raw Umber (Jackson's Pro Oils), Burnt Umber (Old Holland), Burnt Sienna (Old holland), Ultramarine Red Pink (Old Holland - the under painting colour), Geranium Madder Lake (Old Holland), Cold Grey (Old Holland) ,Cerulean Blue Chromium (Daniel Smith)
Canvas panel
She usually begins with a photo for speed, rather than a sketch. This is because light and weather changes fast.
She painted the panel bright pink. This is to provide a vibrant background, as she paints layers of varying transparency. She added another heavier layer of pink and then wiped back the light areas.
She then added the dark areas, focussing on the big shapes with loose strokes, sometimes using a palette knife and then working in with the brush.
She finished by adding some details, correcting some of the colours, and ensuring bolder marks to the front of the composition. She stressed the importance of maintaining transparency even with the thicker layers.
For her workshop, she will start with some exercises to encourage loose mark making, brush strokes and expressive painting, along with designing and working on a striking composition from members’ own reference pictures. She will be working in oils, but members can work in oils or acrylics. Her workshop can be booked here.
