Showing posts with label meadow. Show all posts
Showing posts with label meadow. Show all posts

Friday, October 12, 2018

New Work: Winter Contrast, pastel on paper, 15 1/4 x 19 inches

Winter Contrast  pastel on paper, 15 1/4 x 19 inches  $2250 framed
Dominique Boisjoli Fine Art, Santa Fe, NM
In this pastel I've revisited an idea from some years ago. The colors are accentuated except in the middle snow and the foreground trees.


Every part of this pastel has interesting notes and to get there, I kept working the different areas to bring them to life with rich color and soft overlays.

The pastel looks fairly bright but it really is how the richer colors are emerging from the grey tones. It was a bit of an adventure, although on a smaller scale to pull it all together and I can honestly say that it was years in the making. 

Friday, September 14, 2018

New Work: Evening Song, Foothills oil on canvas, 48 x 48 inches


Evening Song, Foothills
Oil on canvas, 48 x 48 inches  $10400 framed
Saks Galleries, Denver

At the end of my day in the studio, I often walk out back and see tree patterns in the large meadows near the foothills. The sun has already set and the available light changes the look of everything. I have often wanted to paint a pure arrangement, just the basic elements of that view.

On view at Saks Galleries, Denver
This is not a portrait of that place, but an arrangement of shapes set into a pattern of soft colors. Artists realized ages ago that brushstrokes can indicate direction and the Impressionists went further, breaking up the colors in a new and magical way.

There is a bit of both here to keep things interesting, but my focus was create a simple landscape composition with aquas and blues. As the painting developed, the lighting became softer and I found myself just following along, enjoying the developing scene.

All of the sky and most of the blue hill in this finished work are from the first painting sessions and it was fascinating to observe how both areas seemed to take on a glow as the rest of the oil moved forward.

This is one of the softer, lower-intensity pieces I have ever done and I like the presence and calm it gives to the room.

It's like a whisper.