
Every exceptional photograph is a piece of art, showcasing the talent of the photographer. But if you swap the camera for a brush, how can you transform an exceptional photograph into a great painting? Painters often use or find outstanding photographs to capture a moment or as references for their creations. I've mentioned "exceptional" quite a bit. Undoubtedly, exceptional photographs contribute to the creation of exceptional paintings, but any artwork depends on skill, experience, and a subjective evaluation of its greatness.
I hope you will agree the photo I took was exceptional but certainly not great. I am not a photographer using, in the main, my phone's camera to capture scenes for reference and perhaps inspiration. So what factors should you take into account, when attempting to make an exceptional photograph into a great painting and does the photo allow you the freedom to interpret and create?
Enhancing an exceptional photo is never simple, but it's always worth attempting.
Over the Christmas holidays on a walk around "the loop" as we call our regular walk around the village of Whitbourne in Worcestershire I was stopped in my tracks by the scene above. Three of farmer Tim's cows who, only a few months before had been grazing in the field at the back of our home were standing quitely basking in the winter sun and it was one of those moments that, as an artist,shouts paint me.

Whitbourne sits in the beautiful Worcestershire countryside and regularly provides me with inspiration. It's home to my wife and me and is where we decided to retire from our busy work schedules. I've been retired for three years, and art has become my new passion.
"The Loop" is a one-hour walk around the small country lanes that connect the top of the village to the lower, and where one of the tributaries to the River Teme dissects it neatly in half. The Teme, in turn, joins the River Severn just south of Worcester. A regular flood area, winters are interesting and sometimes challenging, but spring and summers are stunning. The perfect place to set up a studio and paint to your heart's content. Now let me explain, I am not a professional artist; I have no formal training and, as a result, often make schoolboy errors in composition, according to the experts. The good news is, as Arnold Palmer was once heard to say, "the more you practice, the luckier you become." Painting in my retirement gives me purpose and joy, and when I come across a scene like the one above, I can't wait to get started on it. As my gallery on Art-Marco continues to grow, so do my confidence and willingness to tackle more difficult themes.
I work in charcoal, watercolour, acrylic, and oils to the point that, whilst I could be considered to be a "jack of all trades," I don't believe I will ever be a master of any of them and that's not the purpose of my hobby. Having said that, I take pride in my work and in everything I do so, if I am being honest with myself, I do strive to get better and master my art. I have rarely met any artist who ever believes they have produced the perfect piece of art. It never ceases to amaze me how subjective art is and, on occasions, how Hans Christian Andersen's tale of "The Emperor's New Clothes" fits the art world perfectly. Trends, fashion, and values move with the tides of change in art, just as they do in all things of perceived value. No longer is art driven by religion but by marketing, media, and politics. The choice you have to make as an artist is what you want from the medium. Is it an income, recognition or like me the satisfaction of producing something you would be proud of and is appreciated by others in whatever form that takes.
Turning a photo into a work of art is also subjective. There are certain questions you have to ask yourself.
They are :-
What will I extract from the photo that inspired me to take the photograph in the first place?
What are the elements of the composition that will make it a great painting from your point of view?
Where is the focal point, the point in the artwork that you want to draw the eye to and what attracted you in the first place?. That, after all, is what made you stop and take the photo.
What should you leave out, what to leave in and most importantly what to add, if anything?
What medium? (acrylic, oil, charcoal, watercolour etc)
I would follow this with several others learning from previous commissions I have undertaken which turn out to be equally as important to the person commissioning the artwork. These turn out to be just as important in making a painting something they treasure rather than what you as the artist thinks is important.
What is the objective for the artwork being commissioned?
What mood or statement is the commissioner trying to create or make with it?
Where will the artwork hang?
How will the artwork be framed?
What is the existing decor of the room in which the artwork will ultimately hang
So as you can see, and many artists will by now be tearing their hair out at those five questions above, I understand, I really do but that's one of the decisions that as an artist you will have to consider. Are you painting for yourself or are you painting for recognition and professional success. So Iet me try and answer some of these questions, from my point of view only, thus satisfying the original title of this blog "how to turn an exceptional photograph into a great painting"
Adding to the Photo
Please don't misinterpret the question: what will my painting contribute? If your finished painting brings you joy, does anything else matter? I framed it this way to illustrate my mindset when I look at a photo I wish to paint. It's about capturing the initial emotions that the image or scene evokes in you. Can you translate those emotions into your final artwork? Can you enhance them, interpret them in a new way, and ultimately, can you amplify those emotions and express them in your artwork to make it exceptional?
Composition
In this artwork, the composition was relatively straightforward, closely resembling the original but rushed photograph. I aimed to infuse a bit more drama and create a more vibrant piece. The sun's rays are emphasized to draw attention to my original point of focus the three cows. The drama added by the dark sky and clouds enhanced the composition for me. Over time, I've realized that striving for photorealism isn't for me. I lack the patience and don't see the purpose. If a photograph is good, frame it; it's an artwork in its own right. In my opinion, the artist's goal when transforming a photo into a painting is to convey the mood and emotions the scene created within the resultant composition, using the chosen medium to evoke distinct emotions and feelings.
"I don't agree," I hear you exclaim,.... "subjective response" is my reply.
Focal Point
I'm not going to go into this is in detail here. There are thousands of words written on the subject by far more capable artists and teachers. In some ways it's obvious, when it's pointed out, but positioning the horizon line and setting the focal point and perspective just take lots of practice and in my case lots of early mistakes.
What to leave out and what to leave in

Well lets tajke a look at the original photograph again. I'm no photographer and rely heavily on the camera, in this case on my phone, to do the heavy lifting.
It's pretty dark, badly lit and whilst dramatic isn't something I would frame and put on my wall. What it did for me though is to start the creative juices running. I have already cropped the image and positioned the horizon at roughly a third of the way up from the bottom.
I wrote a blog sometime ago called a watercolour landscape for me where I talked about how cropping an image down to the salient points is essential. Less is more and mastering composition are all elements I now do without even consciously realising I'm doing it. Ian Roberts' book on the subject is a must read for any artist wanting to understand composition. I've included a link to his web site here . Thank you Ian for your help and guidance and your instructive videos which I have found really helpful in my development.
What medium
I usually paint landscapes in watercolour but having just finished an abstract artwork called "Shh", the studio was all set up for acrylics plus this was going to be a large work. Well larger than I would normally paint a watercolour, so I decided on acrylic. Remember its important to enjoy what you are doing. I promised myself when I started my hobby that I would enjoy it. The minute it became a chore I would stop. I spent too many hours doing thankless chores in my business career to do them in my retirement. Constantly challenging myself to use different media is one of the things that I enjoy. I realise though that that's a very personal idiosyncrasy in my character.
Retirement
Self reflection is also something I've learnt comes with age. I regularly lose myself in it when sitting or standing working on an artwork in my studio. Retirement isn't for everyone and in itself its a journey of discovery. My life time partner, my wife and I have always been the best of friends and thankfully we still are. Transforming from living together when working,to living on top of each other for 24 hours a day in retirement, is a completely different matter. I think all retirees will agree, the older you get the less tolerent you become. So we all need a bit of space. For me it's golf and art. My studio is my old home office which is away from the house, is warm and bright with roof windows and good lighting. My studio also gives my wife the space she needs from me to do the things that she enjoys. It works.
So I think that's it for this blog. There will I'm sure be more to come but only when I feel like it. After all I don't want them to become a chore :-)
Marco.
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