Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Escaping boundaries and the snow

 A long winter here in Vermont.  I found some relief in my studio.  This painting, 12x12, began with some hand made paper embedded in wax.  The paper is dark and textured.  it took me several days of study to determine my path in dealing with the darkness...Hmmmm, that statement has a bigger meaning than only with this painting.
This was taken April 6 as I looked out my studio window.  A mad snow squall.  The snow fury blocked out the light.
It was wondrous, amazing, and disrupting to my spirits and to my painting session.  It even stopped my posting for several days.  What!  Can I blame my lack of posting to the snowfall?

 When working alone, without a guide, it is important to challenge oneself.  I decided I needed to do again the landscape of Maine coast.  I used the same size canvas, 20x24, and sketched it out, and did some light layout of colors....thinking abstract.
After another session or 2, the painting now looks like this.  It feels more finished, but I miss some of the colors of the first version.  I think this photo doesn't quite bring it off....maybe it isn't finished...wonder what others think....
Bruce gave me a gift certificate for art supplies.  Saturday we ventured to Burlington to spend the gift cert at Artists Mediums.  The owner is very helpful in selecting new products.  I picked out 2 new mediums which worked well with some powdered pigments I had already purchased but not used to their advantage yet.  One was gold!  I was inspired to add more pigment to this dyptick and feel it is much stronger now.  It is still taped to the slate board, but I think it is resolved now.

Oh, by the way, the weather has warmed and the snow has receded...not gone from the yard but the garden has been released.  I was happy that plants were coming up from last year, transplanted strawberries and hollyhocks, but then was visited by deer who nosed out the swiss chard...darn!

Enough for tonight....sleep well you all.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

It's been such a long Winter for you. I'm pleased you can see some plant shoots reaching through. They know Spring is on the way.

Altoon Sultan said...

oh yes, it has been a too long winter, but finally it looks like spring is on its way.
I like the first painting very much; such an interesting composition. As for the Maine coast picture, I think you know I love your landscape paintings. I just wonder about the bottom of the image, which with all that white seems unresolved. Love the diptych! have fun with the new materials.

Maggie Neale said...

Hi Annie, yes, super long! Finally my snowdrops are coming out of the receding snow, rhubarb shows a red nub and parsley glows on this raining day.

Maggie Neale said...

Hi Altoon, yes, the bottom portion speaks of attention need. I may even do a third painting with the want to really break up the shapes into more abstractness and discover more color use...maybe fauve. Glad yo hear you love the diptych and that you spelled it for me! hurray!