It seems we all travel highways that are constantly being repaired. Late one afternoon, the cast shadows under the van in front of me, along with the ones created by the familiar orange barrels, made the best patterns and shapes, ones I had to paint. I thought the idea was goofy, but the shapes stayed in my mind until I got them on paper. Using my taping process of saving the existing values and shapes with pieces of masking tape before painting in the next darkest value, I explored this painting. I liked the results, and it won Best of Show and also a second place in the two shows I entered it in. Each time I look at the painting, memories surface, reminding me of the thousands of miles that I traveled in a year, through construction zones, back to my hometown to teach before I began teaching classes here in the Cincinnati area.
Titling it was fun, and I think one of the judges liked the title enough to give it an award! He said he was expecting to see another floral painting and was pleasantly surprised to find this instead. Seriously, would you rather look at a floral or a bunch of orange construction barrels????? Actually, it's hanging in our living room right now, (where there are no florals.) And I used to be a master gardener?
"ORANGE BLOSSOM TIME" Transparent Watercolor on Arches 140# CP, 21 x 8.5"
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2 comments:
Sandy,I love this one, not at all surprised it has won awards..the tape technique really adds a rhythm to the texture (think I see it in some others too). Other standouts for me are the window, elephants, pearl harbor, the big roses piece,down river, gingkos. The treasure hunt reminds me of the great abstract in your kitchen (?). All of them reinforce your reputation for diversity and mastery.
It's hard to keep up with you - last time I looked there were about a dozen fewer paintings, and that wasn't too long ago! I see a few are from the archives, but you are certainly a prolific artist nonetheless. Reminds me that I have a painting to get back to! Been some other stuff going on and not enough time available for the studio. I imagine Greentree Studio is in full swing right now - hope you get a break for the holidays and have a wonderful time with your family! Best wishes, Nick S.
Wow, you made those barrels look interesting!!! You're a genius!!!
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