Edge of the Pasture 12x16 pastel, copyright 2012
Our neighbor's property has an open view to the west, and on clear evenings the sunset lights everything up rather dramatically. I've taken dozens of reference photos from our driveway trying to capture that moment. Most of the time I've focused on their red barn, but this time is was a large maple tree that caught my eye. And despite my struggles the past few weeks and the difficult subject matter that trees make, this one didn't give me too much trouble. The hardest part was in reminding myself to not do too much. I actually started painting in all the little branches on the maple and all the bushes and trees in the background. It became obvious rather quickly that so much detail would take forever to paint and would only serve as distractions. Keep it simple is the best philosophy.
In the news, the annual Art Association of Randolph County juried show is this month, and I've entered two pieces: October Fields and Morning Mist Near Alexander Bay. Experience has taught me that larger, more dramatic work is more likely to get noticed, especially in a show as crowded as this one gets. The reception is next Thursday the 8th at 7:00pm. I plan on going, assuming the weather holds up.
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This is lovely, the simplicity has worked well.
ReplyDeleteFingers crossed you get juried in.
Thanks Sue! This particular show is actually one of those small town events, and they are happy to fill the room, so there's no jurying process to get in. But there are a couple of others that do jury in, I think I'm going to try for more of those this year.
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