New Work: Yellows on a Still Lake, oil on canvas, 36 x 48 inches

Yellows on a Still Lake, oil on canvas, 36 x 48 inches  $8480 framed
Exhibiting:  Dominique Boisjoli Fine Art

It's all about the yellows here and everything in this canvas is there to support the effect.

Being an artist is akin to being a movie director because you get to set the scene just the way you want. The yellow trees are a prime example because the light source is not exactly specified. Since it's all about the yellows, I opted out of that concern. It's entirely possible that the light can shine on the stand of trees this way or it may be that the trees are somehow generating light on their own. Either way, it is still just about those luminescent, yellow trees.

All of the glow is in the trees, not in the sky or back hill and even the yellow reflection is a bit more subdued. Everything is supporting that etherial, yellow light by being darker or a different color. Can you make a yellow glow on it's own? That would be very difficult, but it you use a number of supporting colors, tones and shapes then you have a chance. I reordered all of those elements about a dozen times before this final, glowing effect emerged.

I began this oil over the top of a previous one I had given up on and it felt GREAT to paint it out with this new start. Since the previous painting had more design elements and apparently more ways to fail, I decided to try a simpler idea for this one, something with a singular theme, like it's all about.....

That was a very helpful strategy and it was a pleasure to work through this one. Now I'm back to the studio where there are seven more oils in progress, patiently waiting. I'll shelve the yellow paints for a bit and explore some other colorful schemes.

Grateful Notices: Yellow with Reds Insisting, oil on canvas, 30 x 40 inches

Yellow with Reds Insisting
Oil on canvas, 30 x 40 inches   Private collection, Ohio
Exhibited: Dominique Boisjoli Fine Art

This oil was started during an art workshop I held in Alaska. I have a lot of fond memories of the people and my time there.

With this work I was demonstrating a loose approach to paint application, creating an interesting composition and using color dramatically. Obviously, I have worked this motif many times but for this one I first wanted the grasses to have a soft texture and happily, that happened right away.

In the first session the reds and yellows were very bright. It seemed fine at the time but in the early morning when I saw the painting again, my realization was that the colors were off. The intention was for the brightest yellows to be in the trees but that wasn't working. So what to do?

Later when the class assembled, I went over what was discussed the day before and one of the topics was the use of grays. Since I liked the yellows as they were, another color was ruled out. With everyone waiting around for me to do something, I added a bit of grey to a bright orange and went right into the wet, yellow paint on the left and to my delight, the toned down yellows revealed a few of the original, brighter yellows in the back. The leaves still appeared to be yellow, just toned down.

That went well so I got another brush, loaded it up with a medium grey and added it to the bright yellow leaves on the right. The paint was still very wet and the application of grey turned the leaves to an interesting green, again revealing some of the untouched, brighter yellow from the day before.

With the further addition of a medium dark and lighter lime greens at the top, the oil now had a nice balance and was far more interesting. It was almost magical how quickly it all came together by using a color that wasn't intuitive, a simple, medium grey. It was a good day in the classroom.

The gallery told me today that a very nice couple had purchased this oil to commemorate their 50 wedding anniversary. I am much honored and my congratulations and thanks go out to you both!

Grateful Notices: Sunset Pond, pastel, 9 x 12 inches

Sunset Pond, pastel, 9 x 12 inches  Private collection
Exhibited: Dominique Boisjoli Fine Art

I had the wonderful pleasure of visiting a friend on a lake. She had a paddleboat that came with two great incentives: the view and a Starbucks on an opposite shore. A lot of time was spent on the paddleboat and one of the lake photos yielded this sunset view.

This pastel was a delight to do. My intention was to keep it really simple and the center of the pastel reflects just that. OK, so I added a bit more detail to the clouds but then it changed everything. Now the edges of the scene called out for more detail as well. Adding foliage to the sides was very helpful but the center as it was originally done was now lacking something. If you change a thing in one place then it often requires adjustments elsewhere.

I realized I had the perfect opening in the center part of the view to heap more color on the band of trees. I put in a variety of colors as an atmospheric glow... that worked out nicely.

The work could still take more. Go farther! So I aded the bright yellows to punch up the sky and the glowing, blue counterpoint to further accentuate the water,

With just a few additional moves, it all came to life in a way I never imagined.

New Work: Last Colors, pastel, 12 x 18 inches

Last Colors, pastel, 12 x 18 inches  $1350 framed
Exhibiting: Dominique Boisjoli Fine Art

This is all about a singular color and how to keep it interesting. I don't typically work monochromatically but the idea was to catch the greens lit up by a setting sun.

Everything was kept a bit rough at the edges so that the extra detail would add to the complexity. As the pastel progressed, the contrasting colors away from the sun looked best as red-browns and blue-greens. The harmonies were kept tight by using a minimum about of brights and darks.

I'm thinking all the pieces worked together successfully because my eye keeps circling around the pastel, taking it all in.