Finally!--the Portsmouth Harbor lighthouse is finished! This canvas didn't require a lot more work--just a few more hours in the day--but I took a couple of evenings, parked myself down, and set to finishing it.
The trees posed a bit of a challenge: how to make them stand out against the sky while still keeping them in the background. I solved this dilemma in two steps. First, I chose two different threads of relatively similar weight--Impressions #5061 and Sheep's Silk "Green Leaves." Then I divided the tree line randomly as I worked in a satin stitch, using the Impressions at the shoreline and the Sheep's Silk above. Since the Sheep's Silk is an overdyed thread, the shades of green vary, mimicking the effect of sunlight playing on the tops of the trees.
The water was worked with DMC cotton floss #312 in a horizontal diagonal cashmere stitch, which provides the look of movement in a relatively small area. The dark gray foundation for the tower and walkway are DMC #5 perle cotton #414 in a gobelin stitch over two threads.
The rocks under the foundation were worked with DMC floss in a satin stitch; the supports for the walkway were stitched in vertical diagonal cashmere using the same thread, with the shadows surrounding them worked in tent stitch in floss two shades darker.
As I resume my painting, thoughts of what my next project might be will be turning in the back of my mind!
2 comments:
I certainly hope you're thinking of what the next one will be, as you wield your paint brush. As I told you long ago - "d--- you're good!!!!" This lighthouse foreground is amazing, and that's what I was looking forward to - as well as the light playing in the tree tops.
Hi Anne,
Very pretty and congratulations on another finish!
The stitches that you selected really add to the wonderful look of this design. :-)
Cynthia
Windy Meadow
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