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| White Window (c) Mary Hubley |
St. Augustine History
I live in old St. Augustine, Florida, a place that abounds with historic colonial Spanish, French and British sites. There are grand Victorian hotels, a couple of authentic old Spanish forts, and a tall black and white spiral lighthouse. The maze of ancient homes on old-world streets is an artist's dream.Yesterday, friend Wendy and I did a photo shoot of hidden St. Augustine. We trekked the hidden cobbled streets that most people never see. We took photos of the private gardens, dark shadows of mossy walled courtyards, and secret alleyways. I've lived here for 20 years, and I still find places that are new wonders waiting for me to paint.
Use Photos as a Reference
Yesterday's photos will become references for some new paintings. I'll sort them to find the most promising. I'll make a few sketches. Then, I'll finally go back to the best places later on, and reconnect in person with pencils and paints. I'll sit there for a few hours to do some plein air painting. You can't get any more authentic than sitting and painting right at the source of the inspiration.When painting a historic site or a recognizable place, you need to consider everything - perspective, color, contrast, composition, just like in every other painting.
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| St. Augustine Lion (c) Mary Hubley |
Authenticity
There's one big difference, though, when painting something everyone recognizes: you need to be authentic. Paint everything that's there - even the seemingly insignificant things. Keep in all the messy stop signs, telephone lines, trash cans, and mailboxes. Why? Because it's authentic. It's a part of the historic fabric of a famous landmark. And, removing ugly details from a well-known place will be noticed. People will pick apart the details and judge your painting by all the wrong reasons.I actually like the messy little details. They add character to the piece. They're authentic.
You can sometimes make slight changes, though. Move a trash can a bit. Downplay contrasts, deaden a color. Or if all else fails, hide an intrusive object behind overgrown grass, a car, or a passing pedestrian.
