Grateful Notices: Autumn Cascade I and II, oils on canvas, 32 x 32 inches

Autumn Cascade I, oil on canvas, 32 x 32 inches
Private collection

Autumn Cascade II, oil on canvas, 32 x 32 inches
Private collection

I have always had a soft spot for these two oils so I was delighted when they were purchased together for a private collection.

There is a great deal of paint texture on these and it is evidence of the many changes that these two oils went through. The big take away from these two works came about when I realized the artworks were in good shape but they weren't fresh enough. I certainly didn't want to do another round of adding more layers of paint and making small tweaks. So I just loaded up the brush and quickly painted what was needed in bold strokes. 

Well that worked nicely with the red trees in the background and after doing the same to the yellow trees, the painting came to life. All of the previous work wasn't wasted though. All of that layering produced a thick, rich texture for the last strokes to dance over. It was reminiscent of those Monets I saw on the museum walls. "How did he get that texture?"  

Now I know. He was constantly adding layers to his work with his long bristle brushes... thousands of moves, dabbing and dabbing. He said that he never really finished a canvas, indicating that he could always find another place to dab on more color to achieve perfection. 

I know the feeling!

My sincere thanks to the collector that purchased these two works.