Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
MY NEW COMMISSION!
I just got a commission for a 10'x7 1/2'painting on canvas to go on a high wall in a 2story bedroom in greater Tucson. Hal just finished building the canvas, after carefully checking that it would go out the gallery door, and I put on the first coat of gesso this morning. I've done a small mock up (10"x8") and hope to start on the painting itself first thing next week since it must be done by Sept. I must admit I've done large paintings before, but none this large. It will be fun, I hope. Thought you might like to see my progress.
When you look, what do you see?
When I am teaching, I ask "Do you see how this relates to that?" Often the answer is no, or maybe, or I'm not sure. So I began to wonder what do other people see. I haven't figured how to see through your eyes, but I do wonder what DO you see.
I see lots of colors. In my mind I run through the tubes of paint naming each one I would put on my palette. I see the lights and the darks and the movement. Sometimes I "see" what it would look like in a "bird's eye view". And, oh, those negative shapes are amazing. See the spaces between the branches of a tree or the flower stem or that ladder back chair. And there are wonderful shadows that change constantly when the wind blows casting moving sun lit circles on the ground. And how weird my shadow looks when the sun is high in the sky....or how long it is at evening and the edges become soft as it goes away. And what color are shadows anyway? The color of the grass? How many greens or browns would that be. Or is it blue, or grey or purple like the impressionist often made it. And what color is skin anyway. Is it pink? or grey? or orange? or brown or black or all of those?
But, what do YOU see? I look at landscape paintings and know the artist and I do not see the exact same colors. Is that tree cool or warm? And why?
So I wish just once I could see what YOU see. Does your world look like mine? Sadly, neither of us will ever really know.
I see lots of colors. In my mind I run through the tubes of paint naming each one I would put on my palette. I see the lights and the darks and the movement. Sometimes I "see" what it would look like in a "bird's eye view". And, oh, those negative shapes are amazing. See the spaces between the branches of a tree or the flower stem or that ladder back chair. And there are wonderful shadows that change constantly when the wind blows casting moving sun lit circles on the ground. And how weird my shadow looks when the sun is high in the sky....or how long it is at evening and the edges become soft as it goes away. And what color are shadows anyway? The color of the grass? How many greens or browns would that be. Or is it blue, or grey or purple like the impressionist often made it. And what color is skin anyway. Is it pink? or grey? or orange? or brown or black or all of those?
But, what do YOU see? I look at landscape paintings and know the artist and I do not see the exact same colors. Is that tree cool or warm? And why?
So I wish just once I could see what YOU see. Does your world look like mine? Sadly, neither of us will ever really know.
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