Month: September 2011

Posted on

Colors

This is an excerpt from the notes I am keeping for the Color Project (working title).  I am trying to understand the colors I see through multiple mediums.  Painting is important, but describing the colors through writing helps me understand the perception on a different level.

“The air is invigorating. Energy from the day’s storms is charging everything around me. I walk quickly, as the sun is minutes from setting and I want to catch all the drama.  The colors are absolutely vibrant throughout the park. I take lots of pictures- everything I see amazes me.  Sharp bands of early evening light dance off of the tree trunks like fire. The greens of the trees are made razor sharp by the lingering moisture in the air.   A gentle purple has settled over everything and is complimented by a flickering yellow sunset.”

 

Posted on

The Pond

I have already taken several pictures of the nearby pond for reference in photos.  I have also been drawing the location regularly to become more intimately familiar with it.  By observing the same place day after day I take ownership of it.  It somehow becomes mine in a way and I feel responsible for it.  I notice details about it that I would otherwise overlook.  In a sense, it is much like getting to know a person.  I have seen oranges emerge subtly in the last few days.  I have seen the lily pads fade away.  I have seen the way that the sky and time of day shift the palette harmony of the entire scene.  There is much calm in watching.  There is a peace to just observing, painting, and observing again with no definitive end result.

Posted on

My New Project

I have started a new project, which will focus on a single landscape for series of paintings.  The intention is to study how the landscape changes from day to day, but also over the length of a season.  This seems like a perfect time considering the impending change of colors.  I really want to carefully observe lighting conditions and the affect on color.  I will be photographing the same place regularly, and painting from photograph so I will have a few forms of documentation.  I don’t know how long this will last, though my hope is that I will be able to do this for at least a few months.  Perhaps this will be a good break from my regular work.  Also, I expect this to be a great opportunity to focus on process.  I hope to learn a lot about color and light observation over the coming months!