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Jan 29, 2022
Media: Acrylic stretched canvas
Size: 30x30 in
“I start in the middle of a sentence and move both directions at once.” ― John Coltrane
This was one of those paintings where I didn't quite know where I was headed, but I trusted the path and process. After I did the underpainting (Prussian blue with pinky orange on the horizon) and sketched out the layout in dark paint, I decided to start adding color in the creek reflection. Not sure why I started there, but it helped me figure out the palette for the whole piece. Next step was finding a way to capture the bare branches of the trees against the sky in a way that felt right. I didn't want the branches to look like leaves, and I didn't want a bunch of black squiggly lines against the sky. My goal was to make the branches and sky work together.
Most of the painting was done in a 4 hour block of time. I could have pushed and finished it last night, but I feared I'd make some not-quite-right decisions. Plus, it was dark outside, and my studio lights aren't nearly as good as daylight. So I slept on it. This morning I woke up, put on John Coltrane, and let my intuition finish the piece. Funny how it's often better to NOT muscle my way through, and instead get some rest, listen to good music, and wait until the answer presents itself.
This painting is available through Synchronicity Gallery in Glen Arbor, MI. “I start in the middle of a sentence and move both directions at once.” ― John Coltrane
This was one of those paintings where I didn't quite know where I was headed, but I trusted the path and process. After I did the underpainting (Prussian blue with pinky orange on the horizon) and sketched out the layout in dark paint, I decided to start adding color in the creek reflection. Not sure why I started there, but it helped me figure out the palette for the whole piece. Next step was finding a way to capture the bare branches of the trees against the sky in a way that felt right. I didn't want the branches to look like leaves, and I didn't want a bunch of black squiggly lines against the sky. My goal was to make the branches and sky work together.
Most of the painting was done in a 4 hour block of time. I could have pushed and finished it last night, but I feared I'd make some not-quite-right decisions. Plus, it was dark outside, and my studio lights aren't nearly as good as daylight. So I slept on it. This morning I woke up, put on John Coltrane, and let my intuition finish the piece. Funny how it's often better to NOT muscle my way through, and instead get some rest, listen to good music, and wait until the answer presents itself.
This painting is available through Synchronicity Gallery in Glen Arbor, MI. |
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