I am still finishing up a group of paintings that I will deliver to a few of the galleries that represent my work in the next week. I am doing bits of touch-up, varnishing paintings and final framing. One that I am framing today is this painting, one that I’ve really been focusing on as it sits in the studio.
This is a 12″ by 36″ canvas which gives it a little size. By that I mean the painting is big enough to have its size give additional impact. For instance, if this piece were a much smaller size, say 6″ by 18″, it would still have the visual oomph of the painting itself but would not visually dominate a wall because of its size whereas this larger sized painting has the same visual impact and because of its size, could be the focus of a much larger area.
This painting has tremendous visual pull. I find myself peeking at it at many points during the day, drawn in by the warm feeling of the layered fields. It also has great depth into the piece which is something I often mention as a desirable trait in any of my paintings. I don’t know if I can explain what I really mean by that. When I look at one of my pieces, I visualize the horizon or focal point of the painting as being the point where the two planes of the sky and ground come together. Like looking into the bottom of a triangle set on its side. The further away that this line of convergence appears to me, the better. I don’t know if this is just my particular preference or if this is something that is one of those common traits of response.
I struggled a bit with a title for this piece because I saw a lot of different things in it. There is a sense of moment, the sense of the new day coming ( or the present day fleeting, however you prefer to see it) in the light of the sky as well as a sense of place in the houses and fields. The red tree has a feeling of pondering and the two nearest trees at the left give a sense of entering upon a scene or moment. The whole thing has a nice unity with all elements coming together and playing off one another that I could use as well when considering a title.
I am considering calling it the In The Depth of the Sky.
I don’t know. There’s still a little time to reconsider…
Redtree Times 