Painting process | A Remarkable Sunset
When I was in Queenstown last year, I was fascinated by the sunset over the Remarkables. For a few minutes, a band of vivid peach light stretched across the mountains. Meanwhile the shadows turned an almost unnatural cobalt blue and the town below seemed to melt into the trees.
I knew this would make a wonderful painting, if I could convincingly capture the light effect.
I wanted this painting to capture that quiet flash of brilliant last light on a cold autumn evening. It’s created from references, sketches, notes and memories.
Click on the image above to watch the time-lapse of this painting being created
Preliminary sketches and studies
I spent a long time over Christmas studying composition design. So my preliminary work for this painting is quite extensive as I’m putting what I learned into action!
Here I’m working out which part of the panoramic scene to use in my composition. I defined the motive behind the painting, and how I’ll lead the eye through it using the ripples, mountain edges and light strip.
These four pencil sketches helped me establish the value hierarchy. I divided the scene into simple shapes and defined which was the lightest, darkest, and in-between. I chose the bottom left sketch.
I then painted these little value studies to define the value relationships– how light or dark each value is on a scale from 1 to 10.
I then did these two little colour studies, trying to stick closely to the values I'd already come up with.
This final sketch helped me to work out the colour mixes more accurately, especially in the water.
I used this sketch as my reference for the first layers of the final painting.
The painting process
I completely forgot to photograph the painting at the drawing stage (you’ll have to watch the time-lapse if you want to see it!). So, here it is almost entirely blocked in with colour. You can see the burned sienna underpainting peeking through.
Here I’ve started refining the texture of the mountains, trees and water. I mostly painted with layers of short brushstrokes to create a broken, vibrating colour effect.
Here, I had started painting the little building by layering dark blue paint with dark greens to nestle them into the trees. I also started defining the shape of the mountains into 3D masses and warmed up the light on the mountain.
I worked on softening the edges of the top of the mountains to give them a sense of distance and height. I also softened the edge of the band of sunlight on the mountain by bringing flecks of pink, orange and purple down into the surrounding blues.
The buildings in the town are deliberately just an impression, so not to distract from the light on the mountain. I made the tops of a few buildings leading up to the right side of the line of trees a touch lighter to connect from the ripples in the water up to the mountains.
Finished!
"A Remarkable Sunset"
70x50cm, oil on linen.
I love the sense of depth and scale I was able to achieve in this painting, and I had so much fun layering little dabs of colour to create that evening atmosphere.
Details
The top edge of the right most part of the sunlit ridge is deliberately sharper than anywhere else, to draw attention.
This is a close-up of the blues in the mountain. I’ve layered brushstrokes of purples, blues and greens while allowing the orangey underpainting to show through for warmth.
The ripples on the water are doing a lot of work compositionally. They add vertical lines to a scene that is dominated by horizontals. They add interest and perspective to the water. And they lead the viewer’s eye up into the mountains and to the band of light. I played around with keeping them subtle so they don’t distract from the light on the mountain.
This painting is now available in my new collection, At the End of the Day.
When I was in Queenstown last year, I was fascinated by the sunset over the Remarkables. For a few minutes, a band of vivid peach light stretched across the mountains. Meanwhile the shadows turned an almost unnatural cobalt blue and the town below seemed to melt into the trees.
I wanted this painting to capture that quiet flash of brilliant last light on a cold autumn evening.
Click here to see the process behind this painting
Details
Medium: Oil on linen
Size before framing: 70 × 50cm
Approx. size after framing: 90 × 70cm (depending on design)
Included With Your Painting
Your painting will arrive expertly framed and ready to hang. International shipping is included.
I also include a ‘Story and Care’package to help you display your painting beautifully, look after it easily, and share the story behind it.
It includes:
Premium handmade and hand-finished custom framing
A beautiful hardcover story book documenting the inspiration and creation of your painting.
Original sketches and studies
Signed certificate of authenticity
Curated hanging and care kit and guide
Custom greeting cards
Custom decks of playing cards
Fully insured worldwide shipping
How To Buy
Click “Enquire to Buy” and fill in the form. I’ll personally confirm availability, answer any questions, and send you a secure invoice.
Delivery and Returns
Framing and delivery typically takes around 12–14 weeks, depending on the design and time of year.
I offer a 90-day money-back guarantee. You can read more here.
