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Each
painting that I begin, I secretly tell myself this is my best! I have a
suspicion that I am sending these positive messages to my brain, only so
I will remain very motivated during the painting process.
Time
is the greatest judge of whether the painting is your best or not. So I
approach this short article with a bit of trepidation. I hope that each
painting that I create is my best, but the reality is, when a certain
amount of time has passed, this usually is not the case. I wish it were.
In
case of point, let me discuss my recent painting, "Way of the
Hunter." |
"Way of the Hunter" |
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I
tried very hard to create an unusual composition. It was not easy. I did
it over and over. Each time that I sketched out the composition, or
perhaps a better word would be "designed" the landscape, I
would abandon it, and I would zoom in closer. Perhaps this is a lesson
that I learned during my brief stint as a designer of U.S. postage
stamps. My editor kept telling me, zero in and get the essence. Say more
with less. Sound advise.
The
stream of water is really a design element. The Egret was originally an
accent, but being of life
and certainly considering where it is placed, it became the center of
interest. Paintings sometime take on their own life forces. To me, the
center of interest was the design of the landscape: the sunlit stream
next to the darker bodies of land. But this is, no doubt, an
intellectual response on my part and certainly a personal insight. To
make the bodies of land more interesting, I exaggerated the reds that
were spotted throughout the greens. I continued to soften the blades of
grass so they would not "take over" with too much detail. I
was trying to make the texture visually interesting and only suggest the
reality of the vegetation.
Is
it my best? I really do not know, but I do know that I like the
composition of this painting. Excuse me if I sound like I am patting
myself on the back, because I am usually very hard on myself. Recently,
I have been trying to "lighten up," so I can once again
receive more joy within the act of painting. When we are working very
hard for a few solo art exhibitions that are on the horizon, it's easy
to forget that it was the joy of painting that got us all started with
this way of life. We need to remember to retain the wonder and the joy
within the act of painting.... but then again, don't get too
joyful!
Now,
if I can only remember my own advice. ~~~~ Robert Reynolds (email
Robert) |
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