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| Summer Shade, 2008 - 2012, 36" x 36", Acrylic on Gallery Stretched canvas. |
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| The reference photograph taken in late August, 2008 |
This painting was an obsession, a catharsis, an acting out. It made me antsy for years. I could never get it right. And I wanted to. So every now and then, I kept attacking, as you all well know.Even though I claimed that I was finally finished with it, Memorial Day I attacked it again.
Then early Monday morning, full of remorse for not leaving well enough alone, I was out with it in the yard at six with my denatured alcohol, scrub brush and power washer shooting off my latest angst. Lo and behold newer parts melded with older parts leaving the feeling I was after.The painting felt the way I felt the day I took the photo. I put a refresher coat of paint on the edges, varnished it and hung it on the wall. Under the spots, it's gorgeous. The painting is alive with emotion and a wild mix of Bachelor Buttons, Goldenrod and Queen Ann's Lace blooming in deep shade in late August. It makes Winter look sick. The two are not good companions.
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| Winter hanging next to Summer Shade on my observation wall. |
Summer Shade is made up of many layers of under-paintings applied brushstroke after brushstroke, forever drawing and correcting, that built up a rough texture. Scrubbing those layers with denatured alcohol revealed the painting's history. It's a rich one. Here are some details of the surface. I figure if I cut this canvas up, I'd have four decent abstracts. Not a chance in hell! The painting came too hard.
FOOTNOTE: I was going to change the title of Summer Shade to The Summer After--suggesting there was a serious impetus for this painting, but it emerged beautifully. In its darkness, rich with colors, it's a bit awesome--which probably means it stinks if that's what the artist thinks.
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Hola Linda. El colorido de tus cuadros es grandioso. Cada día encuentro bellas obras tuyas en tu blog. Un abrazo!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad I haven't turned you off with this painting that took so much effort. Thank you for your encouragement Sonia. I really appreciate it. Few artists I've come across produce works that take weeks, months, years. I would prefer to be one of them. Unfortunately, I'm not. I never have been. I'll be getting back to portraiture soon. That genre fits my temperament, but doesn't torment me as much as the self-expressive paintings like this one. This is a happy ending for me.
DeleteThe end result is fabulous. Acrylic is so versatile and in your hands it comes alive.
ReplyDeleteThe part I think is really great is that you follow my creed in your art. Know No Fear! I quote it all the time when I am teaching. For you to tackle this painting head on the way you did is admirable and the end result - worth it.
I am sure glad to hear you say that. I really figured if I finally liked it, it probably stinks. But I know you know, that a painting has to sit right with you. This one finally is--maybe I needed all this time between 2009 and now?
DeleteThe power washer with denatured alcohol is an interesting acrylic technique. LOL
WOW! Spectacular colors went into this painting, Linda! looks like a lot of patience went into it. Congratulations on this beautiful piece.!
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't call it patience Hilda--more like a pit bull who wouldn't let go. I'm Capricorn.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous complexities.
ReplyDeleteYes, beating the hell out of a canvas can produce some surprising results. I do love it when paint interacts with paint and some happy accidents occur.
DeleteACK!!! You used a power washer on your painting???? You really mean business! Oddly enough, it looks damn good. And I suppose "Winter" is your next target?
ReplyDeleteLOL. I know you hear me chuckling, but not just yet will I hit that one alternating paint with the power washer. The process exhausted me. --But you can draw into the paint with the washer. Some stays on, some comes off, interesting. Takes a lot of paint though--a costly process. AND you have to watch out for the windows. paint splatters so leaning it against the condo, (with an association that might frown on such antics), isn't a good idea.
Deletewow...the "pieces" do indeed all make good paintings in and of themselves. What I like about your work is that it is abstract....but often some of what it was originally based on (something representational) can be glimpsed. All your work seems to have a good foundation---good bones...not to mention great energy and luscious color!
ReplyDeleteWell we're going to be friends forever! So sweet of you to say. Compliments mean a lot coming from you.
DeleteHey Linda, i am really glad to hear that you worked this piece in stages, whenever the timing was right. You persevered and the final result is a killer painting. I love the abstracts, but i too would have a difficult time cutting it up. Great job and thanks for your insight!
ReplyDeleteNo cutting it up is going on here Michael, not after putting in those years of layers and removals and the money that that process costs. But I do believe that all paintings are salvageable. I wouldn't throw anything away too soon. Our outlooks keep changing from day to day and certainly from year to year. Time passing changes how we look at things.
DeleteThe result is stunning, you totally get the feeling of the forest , an abstract one....gorgeous !
ReplyDeleteJane, I think we have photography for making exact pictures of the forest or whatever. I think when I paint, I am responding to how my subject makes me feel--and the difficult part is that our feelings keep changing with time. A painting we do in a day and think is just fine, may not be three months from then. That's why it's good to get your work out of the studio and away from your brush.
DeleteI just love the way you write about the process Linda. The resulting image is stunning!
ReplyDeleteThanks Agnes. this one was a tough one. I'm still looking at it with a bit of wonder as to how did all of that happen?
DeleteDear, what you are creating is so different from what I am doing - I get so easy to my photos - you must work like a hell to get the results. And I love your work.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Maria. I have no idea what I am creating. I am following my instincts. I take a photograph and I see deeper colors. I take a walk and the colors are more vivid than they really are. I describe the world in paint colors. My husband thinks I'm weird. I think I'm a painter.
ReplyDeleteA forest or an abstract? In any case a stunning work! Love it! Ciao Linda.
ReplyDeleteAll abstracts are something Tito pushed around at the whim of the artist. I think even when we start with a random splash or form or line, something in our lives kicks in and influences our response. We're painters. We interpret nature. Thanks Tito. that painting did it for me this week. I'm resting on my laurels to clear my head.
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