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Wednesday, August 28, 2019
Newsletter: August 2019
Sunday, August 25, 2019
New Work: Red Borders, oil on panel, 24 x 24 inches
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| Red Borders Oil on panel, 24 x 24 inches $2150 unframed Dominique Boisjoli Fine Art, Santa Fe, NM |
It is always an interesting exercise to paint a piece with one predominant color. In this case, it's these red trees. My original idea was to make the trees fill the entire area, but as the painting moved forward, a different composition presented itself.
A bright stripe emerged and that became the lake or stream. From there, the composition began to move back into the space behind the trees, opening up the opportunity to try out more reds. The sky and blue hill in the far back helped to frame the red trees in the back and it made for a more interesting composition.
Funny how the painting will make demands on the artist and those background trees were very insistent on being more interesting than I had first intended. After 3-4 different experiments and variations, the far trees settled into place and from there, it is was a matter of bringing is more color and light where needed.
Funny how the background ended up taking much more time than the trees in front. The extra effort made for a far better oil with extra complexity and two more reds... it's like the cherry on top!
Monday, August 19, 2019
New Work: At the Creeks Edge, oil panel, 24 x 24 inches
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| At the Creeks Edge Oil panel, 24 x 24 inches $2150 unframed Dominique Boisjoli Fine Art, Santa Fe, NM |
This small group of trees in the meadow got my attention. The foreground had a small path running through it and the background was a large line of darker trees. Everything was green and from the start, I set out to create something more interesting.
The painting was ‘completed’ 4 or 5 times and after each try, I noticed an opportunity to make the oil even better. All of the changes might sound frustrating to some, but the chance for improvement is very appealing to me.
One of the early changes was to convert the path into a creek that made a reflective ribbon, dividing the grasses in the foreground.
The background went through many alterations with each change, more complexity and color intensity emerged. It is easy to overwork these pieces as the painting went forward, I took care to add intricate layers and interest to the trees, not diminishing their appeal.
Finally, everything was made brighter and the colors were enriched. It felt good to put my signature on this one.
The painting was ‘completed’ 4 or 5 times and after each try, I noticed an opportunity to make the oil even better. All of the changes might sound frustrating to some, but the chance for improvement is very appealing to me.
One of the early changes was to convert the path into a creek that made a reflective ribbon, dividing the grasses in the foreground.
The background went through many alterations with each change, more complexity and color intensity emerged. It is easy to overwork these pieces as the painting went forward, I took care to add intricate layers and interest to the trees, not diminishing their appeal.
Finally, everything was made brighter and the colors were enriched. It felt good to put my signature on this one.
Sunday, August 11, 2019
Grateful Notices: Water, Land and Sky in Flow Oil on canvas, 36 X 60
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| Water, Land and Sky in Flow Oil on canvas, 36 X 60 Private collection, CT Exhibited: Sorelle Gallery, New Canaan, CT |
The way light plays on the surface of lakes is a constant fascination to me. With this oil the lake is a factor but it is equally weighted with the bright, yellow trees in the distance.
This is likely the 5th or so version of this arrangement. As the painting progressed through the different trials, more glowing colors emerged and the overall look of the oil continued to get brighter.
Each trial yielded a completed painting but after a few days of viewing what I had, those brighter shapes called out for more to be done. In this final version, there is movement everywhere, carried along by the changes in colors and in the way that the mass of the trees and cloud bank are surrounded by the atmosphere in the upper sky its reflection on the lakes surface.
As it turns out, the painting titled itself.
Tuesday, August 6, 2019
New Works: Soft Summer Light and Summer Song, oils on panel 30 x 30 inches
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| SOFT SUMMER LIGHT Oil on canvas, 30 X 30 inches $3700 unframed Sorelle Gallery, New Canaan, CT |
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| SUMMER SONG Oil on canvas, 30 X 30 inches $3700 unframed Sorelle Gallery, New Canaan, CT |
Summers produce an abundance of green and considerably less color options than a colorful fall provides. The challenge set forth with these two oils was that they would have summer in the title and that they would have to be compelling works, despite the solid green summer fields and trees.
So, what’s the plan?
When I was a newly-minted painter, I would use the few greens I had purchased and invariably, my works would be too green, too much the same and not very attractive. Greens are a trap for many landscape painters including myself back then, so to be a better painter, other strategies had to be developed as quickly as possible.
In this oil, a variety of greens in muted tones are put into play. The landscape can be awash in green but the overall effect is subdued. The colors are a bit more muted and the overall effect is softer and it allows the other interesting colors to share the space.
Summer just got a bit more interesting.
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