Deep Woods

“A painting requires a little mystery, some vagueness, 

and some fantasy. When you always make your meaning perfectly plain 

you end up boring people” 
― Edgar Degas

When I was first learning to paint from photographs I had a wonderful teacher who would let me go just so far and then insist I get rid of the photo.  This can make a student very nervous but is an excellent way to learn how to make "art" as opposed to making a copy.  I couldn't agree with Degas more: a little mystery to the meaning is much more intriguing.

I love to hike altho I often prefer to meander...my hiking friends move along so fast that I often miss the thrill of the wander.  When I head out by myself I see things that are never captured in a photo and the best result is what I feel.  The breeze, the smells, the sounds...they make one feel something that is hard to paint.  How to capture that for a viewer?  I keep trying.

"Deep Woods" oil, 30 x 30

framed

Crossnore Gallery of Fine Art

If you have ever settled down on a rock, alone, deep in the woods and gazed at the wonders before you then you know this scene well.  Sometimes joy is calming and subdued, somethings it is a riot of color and crazy smells.  On certain days it is all of the above ...and more.

detail of  "Deep Woods"

Hope your day is color full,

Cindy

Pink Dancers after Degas (Day #29)

Thinking about the Bath Series by Degas yesterday prompted me to get out my book of his pastels. Somehow it never mattered if his dancers had legs that were too long or unfinished arms...the viewers knew exactly the feeling and the mood he was trying to capture.  It has been a long time since I copied one of the masters so I decided that for day #29 I'd choose a Degas and see where it took me.  The "Pink Dancers" ( 33" high x 22.75" wide, pastel) looks like this:  (keep in mind that every repro changes the coloration slightly depending on where and how it is printed)

I elected to do it much smaller (5" x 5") and in a square format, not the one shown.  By this stage (1889-1900) Degas was no longer concerned about detail but about blurred forms and texture rich in color.  That huge dark "thing" chopping up a third of the painting bothers me...a lot.  The book I have calls it a "compositional audacity," a vertical dark that chops up the dancers and is presumed to be a tree.  My book also notes that at this age Degas was no longer attending live performances and was painting from memory.

preparation using pastels and pastel pencils

my version of "The Pink Dancers" after Degas

5 x 5 pastel on wallis paper

matted in white to a framable size of 12 x 9 BUY HERE

detail

Copying is an age-old teaching technique (one must acknowledge the original artist) and is not as easy as it sounds.  The beautiful affect of layering cool over warm has to be understood first to be able to be reproduced.  Some of the prep techniques are not even visible but critical to the end result.  And finally, this research assured me that if a huge technical error remains the critics can always refer to it as "compositional audacity." 

To see the work of others participating in the 30 in 30 day challenge click here.