Suncatchers -revisited 12 x 16 oil painting |
But this month, since I've been recovering from my accident (for those just tuning in I was hit by an SUV while crossing the street in April), I've started reaching into that pile of "fixer-uppers" with the intention of using them for experiments. These small learning opportunities aren't be too time consuming since there is already an existing idea, composition there, and I'm just exploring possibilities to enhance what was already there.
Today I took out "Suncatchers" which I painted a couple of years ago inspired by a springtime photo I took at the NY Botanical Garden. The original version of Suncatchers is pictured below. At the time I painted it, I liked it and I still do, but I was wiling to risk it to possibly learn something. My thought was that I could add more variety. My intentions for this lesson were (1) push the color temperature variation a la Joaquin Sorolla who used really warm yellows in the sunlit areas and cools in the shadows. He is one of the masters of depicting a sensation of sunshine. (2) Experiment with the palette knife to get more mystery, texture and rich thick paint and (3) Push a little further towards impressionism/looseness vs realism.
I intentionally did not look at any reference photos- just responded to the painting as an abstract design and where I wanted to have light, darks, hard edges, soft edges etc.. ( Before starting I did sand down any existing texture and then oiled out the canvas).
Original Suncatchers |
Below is a close up of a little corner of the painting now which shows some of the thick paint and broken/soft edges.
Close-up of some texture in new version |
In the end it was a fun afternoon, playing with paint, without any attachment. If I took a poll, I'm sure some people would prefer the original and some would prefer the new version, but for me the value was in the lesson and getting experience with handling the paint in some different ways.
Are you willing to risk good to potentially discover what might lead to great?
Well done! I love how you pushed not only the warm/cool but the values as well. Quite dramatic:) The surface texture and edge variety is wonderful. I think the mystery and surprise in this is exciting to look at!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your feedback and encouragement Bruce. Especially appreciate that from a fellow artist.
ReplyDeleteGood description of your decision making process! I really enjoyed this post, Pat!
ReplyDeleteThank so much Roxanne!
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