"Calming the Waters"
20" x 24"
pastel on Canson Mi-Tientes
This is another one of those slides I found in the studio - mid 1980's painting. I tried photoshopping it - the white ducks came out very bright. Couldn't get them to calm down. There is some nice subtleties in the white, although it doesn't show here.
This one hangs in my parent's office. I love the grey Canson paper. It lends itself so well to animals.
I remember having a discussion with a well-known artist in Denver during a time I was taking it with me to shows. He stated that it was an unbelievable scene. He felt that the waters surrounding the Canadian goose would be more disturbed with the other ducks who are scurrying away. Stated in my 'artist's defense' - I felt that the gliding goose body was big enough to block the disturbance in the water's surface and also that since the other ducks had JUST scurried, the ripples hadn't reached around the front side of the goose. (I put two photos together to paint this one.)
I recall being somewhat perturbed by this discussion at the time.
I paint for myself, although I have been known to paint what I think people will like.
I think any artist gravitates back and forth on that one.
I feel fortunate that I live in a place where
I am free to paint anyway I want and whatever I want, and that rocks my soul.
(and BTW, this painting won an award that summer)
4 comments:
Isn't it fun to look over old things we have done in the past. Well. Sometimes. I like how this one came out. I have been revamping my frame room-shop that includes some remodel work. The studio is next. Ahh! My wife keeps asking if I have come across any treasures. Yep. Some are definitely firestartes. Others have possibilities yet.[another pile]. Boy do I have firestarters and some have done their job this morning.
HAPPY NEW YEARS and here is to great painting this year.
Yes, Gary, if I had a fireplace (well I have a cattle trough out in the yard that we burn in) I, too, would have a good fire these past few days. I saw that one artist sands down their old canvas and gessoes them. I wonder if sanding doesn't destroy the integrity of the surface. Sometimes I gesso over the brushstrokes of an old painting to use for practice. Oh those practices. Thanks for stopping by and stay warm!
This is a beauty Pattie, and I can see where it won an award for you. As for the ripples in the water, the title after all is "calming the waters". Looks very believable to me.
I've seen where some artists will cover a canvas with gesso eight or more times sanding in between coats. They are going for that super smooth hard board finish. So what would be the difference if one sanded down a painting and re-gessoed?
Best wishes for the new year.
Hey Vern - Eight or more times..that must use a lot of gesso unless you dilute it a little and you are talking hardboard-type canvas. I just stacked (to keep) a bunch of 'toss aways'...got to do something with them. Let's paint em!!
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