In this series, plein air painter and instructor Jeanne Mackenzie takes a look at new paintings by contemporary artists and points out why they succeed as painted images. This week, Chad Greene’s “Country Road in Carnation (WA).”
At first glance this painting says oil medium. But the digital age has given us a new medium with which to play. With computer brushstrokes this artist has created a scene that could be a textural plein air done alla prima. There is a wonderful jump in values and aerial perspective that give the feel of strong sunlight and distance. The shadows are the right value. Often cast shadows are painted too dark when relying on photos. You can tell that the artist has the skill of a painter. He has transferred those skills to a new, fun medium.
