Wednesday, December 12, 2012

"Light Source"

($40.00....6" x 6"......Water Soluble Oils on Gessobord)

"Shadows are cast based on the light source." Painters love to capture the light by taking advantage of the cast shadows early or late in the day. It adds so much dimension to the artwork. Think about the light source in spiritual terms and you will capture a deeper meaning in this analogy.

This piece was painted with two friends who are also captivated by the palette knife. We all painted from the same reference photo and all of our paintings were radically different. It was an illustration, once again, that every artist has their own "fingerprint" on the work. I pray that more artists can begin to let that truth sink way down deep. Without your "fingerprint" in the art world, something will forever be missing.

Notice in this piece how strong diagonals created a convincing image of trees on a hillside with cast shadows on the more isolated trees. This was a case where the palette knife really helped to create the illusion. Strong directional swipes with the knife with several different tones of the same hue can go a long way in making that illusion convincing. 

So once again, diagonals played a major role in the energy of the piece. I also used some values in the tallest trees closest to the sky that are very diluted with their complementary plus gray to create that "airy" look of more light showing through the limbs. And that is what is coming more into sharp focus for me by painting one piece right after another. Those slight variations in value are a key factor in making the piece more convincing. And even if you decide to paint more abstractly, noticing those "minute" differences will serve you well.

There's a lot to learn by painting the landscape with all of the atmospheric changes continually taking place. As it turns out, the Master Colorist created an environment that serves as a perfect classroom for that instruction. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about. 

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

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