I see this new piece, a 12″ by 24″ canvas, more as a meditation than a scene. There is rhythm in the motion of the path’s ascent as well as a rhythm in the chaotic nature of the underlying texture that gives this painting its name, Rhythm of the Mountain. As I first started painting I had every intention of inserting a tree to act as the focal point of the piece but as I progressed it became evident that it would actually pull away from the meditative simplicity of the barren landscape. The sun/moon becomes the central figure here and the mountain pass leads the eye upward to it.
I am drawn to the simplicity of this piece. It has a dramatic calmness to it, like the actor delivering a soliloquy who takes a dramatic pause and in that moment there hangs all that has come before alongside the potential of what is to come, held up for the audience to ponder in the silence of that pause. Empty yet full.
I mentioned the texture of this piece and it plays a central role here. It has ribbons of gesso that spin across the canvas which in the sky actually dictated how I was to paint it. It gives this piece a greater depth and this would be a much different painting without it.
I can’t say if this will appeal to everyone but that’s something I can’t worry about. The important thing is in satisfying something inside myself and hoping that others recognize that same thing within themselves and identify with it. Hopefully, this piece will strike an inner chord with others.
Redtree Times 