Rain Is Coming
7x5"
oil on paper
I went to the studio this afternoon and decided to create another cloud painting- it was just too fun last week and luckily it was fun again today. Now that I have uploaded this image I realize that it is likely a bit darker than in real life. The land at the bottom actually has more dark green to it. Here it looks quite black. Anyhoo, I like how it looks. I like the stormy moodiness of it. I am finding it a smidge of a challenge to work with such a limited palette; 12 oil colours including Titanium white. I have to start somewhere though, right? I was poking around online and found a great sale on a brand called "Shiva Signature Oil Paint" that has been around for a really long time. If anyone knows anything about them please leave me a comment- as good as the deal sounds, it won't be a good deal if they are low quality.
I've been thinking about the way I paint, especially since I have been playing with oils. When the artists at the studio saw my the sky/clouds I painted last week they offered positive feedback and then made a comment that they kind of reminded them of Degen's work (her gallery link is "not found"). Of course I took that as a compliment, but I got worried that maybe it seemed like I was copying. I took a step back and contemplated. My final judgment was that, in fact, these skies were very different than the kind she would paint, but maybe my handling of the paint had been influenced by her. Some parts of the clouds were painted without much mixing and that is something she would do. When you admire work of other artists I think you can really learn by studying their techniques, their colour choices, the way they set up their compositions, and then use what you've learned when you go to paint your interpretation of the world. I find the idea of creating a mood or atmosphere in clouds by using unexpected colours quite fascinating. I am a huge admirer of a local artist named Greg Hardy. Now here is someone with a real point of view. The scale of his work is impressive and I can't get enough of how he expresses and interprets his subjects. Click here to view his portfolio of recent exhibitions... especially take the time to click on the Michael Gibson Gallery and the Nicholas Metivier Gallery to see Mr. Hardy's skies and clouds. They are breathtaking and like none other.
I feel like with every piece of art I am drawn to, I am gathering information, I am making mental notes, I am absorbing. Maybe I am all the art I have ever admired. Maybe this next stage of my life is going to be me taking this internalized knowledge and letting it out on canvas. In my own way. Finding my own point of view.
