An October Trip to Prince Edward Island became the inspiration for these two most recent paintings. I spent a good part of December working on them when I should have been preparing to have a houseful of family for the holidays. I managed to cobble together a reasonable facsimile of Christmas, and everyone seemed happy with the results. But the pay off was that I took the time I needed to paint.
I loved the fiery glow of the last ray of sun as it slid down the far bank of trees, and reflected in the buildings on the distant shore.
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| Evening Fire 30" x 40" acrylic on canvas |
I've been working on creating mood in my landscape paintings, exploring elements in each painting that evoke the essence of mood, and how I can use these elements to improve my next piece. I brought these two painting into my classes this week and asked my students about the feeling or mood that they experienced when viewing them side by side. The discussion revolved around the aspects of the paintings seemed to evoke mood. I was pleased that the consensus of the students matched my goals.
In "Evening Fire", it is the end of a day and the end of a season. The day is shutting down, the temperature is cooling off. Everything is going quiet. The muted dark colors, soft edges and lone figure imply quiet introspection. I started this painting with cooler grays and harder edges, and the feeling was depressing and morose. When I softened the grasses and warmed the colors, the feeling of the painting became warmer as well. I loved the fiery glow of the last ray of sun as it slid down the far bank of trees, and reflected in the buildings on the distant shore.
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| Canoe Cove Tide Change 30" x 40" acrylic on canvas |
In "Canoe Cove", I was trying to recreate the feeling I had when first viewing the scene. It was a feeling of peaceful anticipation...of a day yet to be experienced....sun, sand and an empty beach...sand bars just exposed and ready for exploration. The complimentary colors and gentle diagonal movements in the clouds and sand seem to create a subtle energy.
I am always searching for ways to improve my paintings. It is sometimes a slow road, but I keep working. The work itself is a reward. I love the moments when I close the door on the studio, squeeze out the paints, ready my brushes and realize with joy that this could very well take all day. Christmas won't wait, but sometimes inspiration won't wait either.
