Gareth Naylor

Atmospheric paintings of Japan

Tag: Hiji

  • Painting of a man and his dog taking a stroll along a countryside path

    Painting of a man and his dog taking a stroll along a countryside path

    This is a painting of a country path in a region called Hiji.

    I have visited this region quite a few times and have found some very picturesque scenes here such as the one above.

    And as I look at this painting, I find myself thinking that this is a very good painting and I am surprised that I almost binned it. 

    All I can say is that I have over a 1000 paintings and it just becomes overwhelming so if I can bin a painting then I feel a little less like I’m drowning in my own creations.

    So here is a short critique of this painting in which I talk about the many good points of this painting and a few of the bad points.

    Firstly, I like the composition and in particular the curve of the path.

    It is beautiful and interesting.

    And it guides the viewer’s eye deeper into the painting.

    Next, the shapes of objects, such as the trees, the figures and the house, are well done. 

    I especially like the figure of the man with the dog as it really looks like he is moving.

    Along with good shapes there is also some very nice expressive brushwork in the trees.

    And the colors are also very good, especially in the foliage and the sky.

    As I look at the sky, I like how dramatic it is with the sun behind a big gray cloud and I can see beautiful subtle touches of gray, blue and a very light gray as well as yellow in the sky. 

    And I like how the distant mountain disappears into the clouds.

    Finally, I like the flock of birds above the tree on the left which you sometimes get. 

    It is a nice extra detail.

    This painting fails in a few places though.

    The walls of the house are too blue. 

    I doubt it, but it could have been a blue house. 

    But even if it was a blue house I think the blue needs to be toned down a little.

    This painting also fails with the smoke. 

    At the end of the path there is supposed to be smoke. 

    I think that’s what I saw when I went there. 

    But that smoke needs to be a lot whiter as it is difficult to see that it is smoke.

    So I hope one day that I get the chance to paint this picture again as I’m sure I can improve upon the color of the house and the smoke.

    However, I think that I will struggle to paint such an amazing sky.

    All this painting needs now is a title. 

    I was thinking of calling it: “Man and dog taking a stroll along a country path”.

    What do you think? 

    If you have any ideas for a good title then please let me know in the comments. 

    I’d really appreciate it and if I like it then I will definitely use it.

    That’s all,

    Gareth.

  • Watercolor painting of a beautiful and peaceful beach scene

    Watercolor painting of a beautiful and peaceful beach scene

    This is Itogahama beach. 

    It is in Hiji town, Oita prefecture.

    This painting of the beach was done in about 2011. 

    And I think I painted this picture on location.

    Although I don’t think it is a great painting I still quite like it. 

    This is because it has a pleasing soft and misty feeling.

    Also as I look at this painting I feel a calmness. 

    I have since done many more paintings of this beach.

    And it is interesting to compare those paintings with this one and to see the change in my work.

    There are many things about this scene that make it a good painting subject, such as the distant mountains, the rocky outcrops and the dramatic steep cliffs.

    Those cliffs with the trees on top are fun to paint.

    There are many buzzards in those trees and often they come out and glide high up over the beach.

    I remember clearly walking along this beach to that second outcrop of rocks. 

    I wanted to see what was past that outcrop. 

    I have a strong desire to look beyond a coastal outcrop, or another turn in the road, or a mountain to see what lies beyond.

    I think that I’m partly driven by curiosity and partly by the hope of finding a beautiful scene to paint.

    But it was quite dangerous in this case as that second outcrop is a very rocky terrain with almost no flat areas.

    And the rocks were wet and very slippery. 

    Still I persevered through this uninviting terrain and at last I saw past this outcrop. 

    Ironically, despite all that effort I can’t remember very well what I saw. 

    I think I saw a wide inlet and in the middle of it a small fishing port.

    I don’t think it was a remarkable scene otherwise I would probably have taken a photo of it and then done a painting from the photo. 

    But that never happened.

    So my exploration efforts were in vain but that has often been the case.

    However, this doesn’t stop me from continuing to explore.

    That’s all,

    Gareth.