I’m busy at work, putting the final touches on several paintings that are strewn around the studio. The final bits of color and detail don’t take a long time to put on the surface but the transformation to the painting is remarkable. Sometimes it takes a piece that seems stagnant and lifeless to my eye, that seems to have lost direction, and suddenly imbues it with spirit, making it seem vibrant and alive before my eyes.
For me, it’s the most exciting time in the process and the one that most often baffles me, leaving me wondering how such a change occurred in just a few strokes of the brush.
This is a new piece that is an example. As I worked on this piece, a 12″ x 24″ canvas, and let the composition come together, there were things I really liked about it. The symetry was strong and obvious and the color was sharp and rich. I could see where it was going but it seemed to be lacking.
I thought that perhaps adding the tree would do it but seeing the silhouette did nothing to animate the surface. As I built up the layers of color, I still wasn’t feeling it. Then as I put on the final touches that highlighted the edges of the foliage, there was a huge change in the painting. Those final touches gave added depth and in this depth, the whole surface seemed to unite, coming together as one entity. It became alive and vibrant.
I sat at my work table with it before me and shook my head. I’ve done this many, many times yet I am still amazed when I see this tranformation take place. Even though it’s a small event late in the process, it is that moment that gives me the ultimate gratification in what I do. I don’t know if my words can describe the feeling I’m trying to describe. It seems like such a nebulous thing, like trying to describe something that you didn’t quite see and don’t really recognize to someone who didn’t see it at all.
Well, that’s what I do, I guess.
Redtree Times 