After much dabbing of paint [above], Sherbrooke Street from the 17th Floor [below] is complete! As the work progressed, I continued to keep most of my strokes short and vertical. A city viewed from above can be hectic, dazzling, abstract, surreal. . . and snow, wind, and other extreme atmospheric conditions can transform an otherwise familiar landscape into a particularly thought-provoking spectacle; careful brushwork was required to suggest the proper ambiance.
With the coming of Winter, I have been thinking quite a bit about my move to Montreal in the winter of 2008 and how the fact that I did not have much time for painting in 2009 meant that very few of my works depict the scenery that I often sketched and photographed there [above, houses along Carré St-Louis]. Now, a year since my return to Huntsville, I am drawing inspiration from the very first sketch I did in Montreal. The finished painting is to be a view from the 17th floor of a hotel I was staying in on Sherbrooke Street whilst apartment hunting (finding the skyscrapers downtown interesting but far too harsh in terms of aesthetics, I first moved to the French Quarter). I am rather drawn to views from windows because I am far too used to seeing stores, offices, homes, and other structures that seem to have been designed to obscure or obliterate the outdoors. An open window is often a cheerful call to go outside and explore.
I began my Sherbrooke Street painting with some light pencil guidelines and an uneven wash of thin, blue paint [above]. This seemed like an appropriate backdrop for a snowy, gray, blustery day in the city.
Currently, I am in the process of building up layers of paint [above, a small detail from the unfinished painting], deliberately keeping most of my strokes vertical so as to create the illusion of rising and falling-- the height of the buildings reaching to meet the falling snow.
To read my recent interview with photographer and Huntsville Art League director Walt Schumacher, please visit this link. He has many encouraging and interesting things to say about how he became part of the art world, his responsibilities at HAL, and the Huntsville art scene!
The Huntsville Art League Gallery was bustling with activity this morning when I dropped off my painting of Coxcombs [above] for the Christmas Boutique. The event will feature paintings and other items suitable for gift-giving, and will run until the end of December. Piece by piece, the remaining paintings from the Unique Views of Huntsville Retrospective and other HAL exhibits are being picked up and new art begins to flow into the gallery. . .
In March I began to cultivate the habit of writing about my own art. Last month, I was given a wonderful chance to expand the scope of my writing to the rest of my community by becoming a contributor for the Huntsville Art Blog, one of the best sources of information on artists and art events in the Tennessee Valley, as well as the faith-based Ascribing Artists Blog. I view this opportunity-- to interview local artists and arts community leaders, write essays, and help collect information on events-- as a great adventure and important responsibility; I very much look forward to regularly sharing links to the resulting posts on this blog.
My very first interview, which came out today on the Ascribing Artists Blog, features the words and work of my friend Jessica Oden. To read it, please visit http://ascribingartists.blogspot.com/2010/11/featured-artist-jessica-oden.html.
After much dabbing of paint [above], Sherbrooke Street from the 17th Floor [below] is complete! As the work progressed, I continued to keep most of my strokes short and vertical. A city viewed from above can be hectic, dazzling, abstract, surreal. . . and snow, wind, and other extreme atmospheric conditions can transform an otherwise familiar landscape into a particularly thought-provoking spectacle; careful brushwork was required to suggest the proper ambiance.
With the coming of Winter, I have been thinking quite a bit about my move to Montreal in the winter of 2008 and how the fact that I did not have much time for painting in 2009 meant that very few of my works depict the scenery that I often sketched and photographed there [above, houses along Carré St-Louis]. Now, a year since my return to Huntsville, I am drawing inspiration from the very first sketch I did in Montreal. The finished painting is to be a view from the 17th floor of a hotel I was staying in on Sherbrooke Street whilst apartment hunting (finding the skyscrapers downtown interesting but far too harsh in terms of aesthetics, I first moved to the French Quarter). I am rather drawn to views from windows because I am far too used to seeing stores, offices, homes, and other structures that seem to have been designed to obscure or obliterate the outdoors. An open window is often a cheerful call to go outside and explore.
I began my Sherbrooke Street painting with some light pencil guidelines and an uneven wash of thin, blue paint [above]. This seemed like an appropriate backdrop for a snowy, gray, blustery day in the city.
Currently, I am in the process of building up layers of paint [above, a small detail from the unfinished painting], deliberately keeping most of my strokes vertical so as to create the illusion of rising and falling-- the height of the buildings reaching to meet the falling snow.
The Huntsville Art League Gallery was bustling with activity this morning when I dropped off my painting of Coxcombs [above] for the Christmas Boutique. The event will feature paintings and other items suitable for gift-giving, and will run until the end of December. Piece by piece, the remaining paintings from the Unique Views of Huntsville Retrospective and other HAL exhibits are being picked up and new art begins to flow into the gallery. . .
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