Corn Thieves
This painting has kept me occupied over the last few days. It was painted in the traditional way, i.e. layers allowed to dry before the next are applied. I usually paint in a single session in 1 to 2 hours and the painting is small (12″ x 16″ approx). This large size (30″ x 24″) needed several hours, so it was completed in 3 sessions of about 3 hours each. The under layers are painted with Alkyd Fast Drying Oil Colours. The final layers were applied with traditional oils and Liquin medium. The colours used were Cadmium Yellow, Indian Yellow, Yellow Ochre, Cobalt Blue, Ultramarine Blue, Alizarin Crimson plus black and white.
Sorry I could not video the process due to time and size restrictions. The method is basically the same as my usual. Loads of transparent under colour applied unmixed with loads of solvent. The entire canvas was covered with colour and while still wet the first stage of the sky and distance were painted. The following day this had dried (because of the Alkyd Colour + Solvent) and the sky and distance were painted to completion. The foreground initially was painted very dark greens and browns over the dry under colours of crimson and ultramarine blue.
I used Liquin to speed up the drying process and to add a bit of substance and flexibility to my paint layer. This is important as this is a stretched canvas which is a very flexible substrate. I normally use ‘solvent only’ on loose canvas which I later laminate onto a rigid board. This is a very stable surface with very little flexing, quite different from the stretched canvas.
See you soon.
PictureS 
While this took you three sessions to paint and you aren’t able to post a video of the lengthy process on YT, I applaud your creating this fine work of art.
The level of detail compared to your other posted pieces is far and above superior to anything else that I have seen you post – anywhere.
If for the sake of you posting this image only for yourself, because it is a personal painting that shows us what you are really capable of, then bring more of them on! Your subscription base and number of viewers over on YT has not changed for a while and has peaked at about 10K. My suggestion: Take some time off and do some paintings for yourself and leave us all a standing legacy, left by the great painter Liam Rainsford!
Thank you. I have been recording ‘quick’ paintings for YT every week for about 6 years and it has been the most intense experience ever, but worth it. Painting like this is a learned method, very different to just painting to complete a painting. Its painting to complete something / anything, good or bad, in 2 hours. Painting the above was so different and a lot easier. I will follow your suggestion but will try and do the occasional ‘quickie’ just to keep my hand in.
All I know is that you rock Man! Keep up the great work!
Man–the SKY is fantastic its a 12 1/2 on a 10 scale you knocked it out of the park great job—–entire painting is wonderful but the sky super job
Glad you liked John.
Beautiful painting!
Really nice job, Liam. I like the contrast between the cloud shadow over the island and the sunlit open field. Also, a little detail that impressed me was that you put a head & tail on the closes bird. 🙂
I like how the viewer is taken from the dark tones of the marshy area to the light on the cornfield, Liam, and that band along the nearside of the field adds welcome warmth (nice touches in the rushes and trees too) I agree with the previous poster that the sky is particularly skilfully rendered – a typical Irish day in fact, with all those clouds and small pockets of blue striving to be seen. 🙂
Do you have a preference for a style of painting, or is it that demand dictates that you paint quickly, Liam? I usually prefer a looser style, almost leaning towards the abstract, (probably because I can’t achieve this style myself!) but this is a fine piece of detailed work.
marion
Thank you Marion. I do prefer a looser style myself. This is a little more traditional but because of its large size and the reduction here the looseness is less noticeable. I think painting fast and furious 🙂 is the way to go. I’ve had lots of practise working like this over the last few years, which is good. Less time to get into fiddly details.