Have Step Ladder, Will Travel

Have Step Ladder, Will Travel
11" x 14"
oil on canvas

Well there it is. I am so happy I finished it today, now I can move on to the cloud paintings.
The lighting/color on this pic is way better than in the previous post.

Working (WIP), processing... processing

I am working on another French piece (dreaming on canvas) at the moment. I'll be finished with this one shortly, and will be starting my large cloud paintings and the first pieces for Whistle Pik. Did I tell you? I have been offered some wall space in the gallery of my dreams! They want much larger pieces than I have been making, so every time a painting sells, I am to replace it with a larger one. Yee-haw!!! I have so been wanting to work large!


So moving on to what I have been mulling over this morning...

I've been thinking about the transitional relationship between highlights and shadows, human behavior, and addiction. Odd combo, yes?

There is something of a warm shock in the shift between light and shadows. Its like those tantalizing wisps of electricity that pass between two people with great chemistry. Its a deep, sometimes clear heat that is obvious to the parties involved, but not as noticeable to indifferent onlookers. It is fleeting and delicate, but powerful. I think THAT transition between the shades can make a spectacular painting out of an OK one.

But its not just about the transition.
A good painting has the lure of beautiful form, clear and sound values, and luscious textures for that fabulous little spark of chemistry to turn it into something amazing.

Transitions are exciting. The problem arises when that lovely bit of chemistry is taken too far. In the excitement of noticing those wonderful little explosions of heat between cool and warm colors, it is easy to over emphasized that transition and lose the impact.

All things in moderation, right?

Aloof, baby. Aloof!

Or is it passion, baby, passion?

Every once in a while we artists sail through a piece, totally in The Zone, fascinated, in love with the process, and the finished piece is bathed in heavenly light as a chorus of angels sing its glory. Those times are fleeting, but so incredibly sensual that they keep us coming back for more. There is a secret hope that the next painting process will be magic. That hope is what keeps us working through the monotonous, "I've lost my muse" times.
Its an addiction.

Hello, my name is Sara and I am an addict.

Pacific Fog

Pacific Fog
6" x 8"
oil on canvas board

Years ago I recorded this scene in my Moleskine sketchbook. I had a very vague memory of the colors, so I used whatever I thought would look right.

Again, my main focus was brushwork. Practicing laying the paint down and leaving it.

Hill Country Morning

Hill Country Morning
6" x 8"
oil on canvas board

So, I have a confession to make... I did not paint this today. I painted it Monday. In fact the next post is from last week as well. Call me a slacker.

I had the chance to meet up with my girlfriends (whom I have not seen in 13 years!) from high school, this weekend. So I have been rationing out some of last weeks paintings in my posts.

The Monday paint out was wonderful- I honestly thought I was the only person that showed because I was all alone at the top of the hill (the locals call it a mountain) with the fabulous views and the lovely breeze that occasionally morphed into hurricane winds and threatened to blow me away. Experience. Now I know why I was the only one at the top. Still, it was beautiful up there- well worth the possible threat of being blown away.

I have been processing Calvin Liang's sky paintings in my mind, and am so looking forward to capturing that luminosity and subtle, but diverse range of cool and warm colors in the clouds. Subtlety. It can be tricky.

Funny thing, sometimes people can get their point across a lot better by not saying as much, but using body language and a few carefully chosen statements, rather than blatantly announcing their intentions. I think painting is the same. When a painting is created with as few brushstrokes as possible, with carefully chosen colors and deliberate execution, the finished piece can sing its own praises without an explosion of color or extreme contrast.

THAT, my dear friends, is the lesson that has been forming in my mind for some time now... I love how the non-art world can give me answers to questions I have been asking about my work. Human behavior is so amazing. Art is just an extension of our nature.

Middle Creek Mesquites

Middle Creek Mesquites
6" x 8"
oil on canvas board

Sorry about the washed out photo. I did a rush job on this batch of images, but will have a better one when I put it on my website. I'll let you know when I do that...

This was right down the street from the previous post's painting spot. I went a little haywire with the color. Well, with the red swath of earth.

Again, working on distance and laying down the paint and leaving it. I enjoyed working around the branches and foliage clumps on the Mesquite trees. I love these trees. They are so variable and limber looking in the shapes they take.