Collaboration. . .in progress

Kenai Drift Boat . 24 x 36" . in progress . as of May 7th, 2014



Beginning shots below:

 

 

Trying something new while on your art journey is just one example of how to grow as an artist.  Oddly, there here comes a moment while painting when you suddenly realize how everything you've done in the last year has led to where you are NOW.  Sheer coincidence (?) you may idly wonder, or is it simply validation that you are continuing to steadily climb the hill?

 

I'm featuring here a progression of a new painting that's evolving in the studio - it's large (2' x 3') and, although I've painted this size before, I've never challenged myself to do a landscape of this size.  Landscape wasn't even in my vernacular for over 10 years - still life was my hallmark when first beginning to create art in 1997.  So here I am today, utilizing all that has come before, to accomplish a new work.  The size has caused me to break out the palette knife, which I only truly began using the last couple of years - I was always a simple brush girl in the past!  A combination of brush and knife is helping me get to where I want to go in this painting.  It's multi-layered and it's about 30% completed at this point (note first photo). 

 

I've yet to get a first pass on everything - after that's accomplished the real work will begin. 

 

The impetus behind this painting, another in the Alaska Series, is my friend G.B. who regularly visits and loves Alaska.  He has been kind enough to give me permission to paint his beautiful photographs, as many of you may know.  For the artist who is unable to travel to exotic places, this is like gold, pure gold.  It allows me to dream big and take license to create a vision from another's real life experience. 

 

Obviously it's not the same as being there, seeing the granduer, experiencing a glorious moment in time, but it's no less inspiring.  So, I call this a collaboration - Gene's photograph and my paint brush/knife. 

 

 I never lose sight of that, yet while aspiring to compose a painting of that particular moment in Gene's time, I will perhaps be able to create (for a viewer) the ability to breathe deeply while appreciating the absolute beauty of nature - to linger as long as they like, letting their senses and mind flow, synapses firing and stirring their memories - in deep hope of carrying them to a plateau of pure peace.  Like hearing beautiful music, viewing art can bring about the collaboration of heart and soul - it's why we visit museums, it's why we seek the mystery that swells, yet also stills our beating heart.  

 

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"Come quickly.  You mustn't miss the dawn.  It will never be just like this again. 

~ Georgia O'Keefe, 1887-1986, to her house guests, 1951