"Hugs"

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

"Hugs are always welcome." This scene caught my eye because of these two trees that are so close together they appear to be hugging. It's a great visual metaphor for what we experience in real life. (The photo was taken in Flagstaff, Az.)

Now this is a study in neutrals, but in the original painting, you can see some very deep red in those trees. It enlivens the dark green of the trees since it would be too flat without varying those greens. 

Yesterday, I also painted a piece with the same grays in all of their tints and shades as well as a variety of greens. It is interesting to compare the two, since it is basically the same color scheme. But the percentage of space that the sky and snow occupy is much more than the grays from yesterday. I actually prefer yesterday's painting because it has a lot more variation and broken color. And that's the advantage of painting day after day after day. You then have a range of subject matter and color arrangements from which to make a good analysis of where you want to go with your painting. 

This is the way an artist determines their voice. Seeing your habitual marks, the amount of paint you use, and seeing how you are slowly turning and changing over time. The "take away" is that this it how styles and personal artistic "voices" evolve and mature. There is no way to accomplish this without giving the process your attention every day.  I am much older than most of you, so please know that I have stuttered and stammered along on many occasions, but now I absolutely know that there is no way to progress without the hard work of getting to your work everyday.

Some people are born with a lot of natural talent, but even those persons cannot mature unless they spend time with their art. I have had many "come to Jesus" talks with myself and tried to circumvent this and it never works. And that is why I am dedicated to blogging every single day. Find what works for you and you will never regret it. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about. 

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.