Once Upon a Time...

I like paintings that have stories in them.  Like a good book, art can also give you something to think about that is "between the lines," or off the page.  My favorite pieces, not only of mine but of others, leaves me thinking about the before and after of the moment depicted.  It gives me a "once upon a time..." feeling.

So before I leave San Miguel paintings (and I actually never will...) I want to share a once upon a time painting captured from a roof top in the city.

Rooftop Chores

24" x 18" oil on canvas

I had the good fortune to attend a reading by an author and since we arrived early I wandered around the hotel it was held in just to explore.  Since we were on the second floor the views of the city and courtyard below were gorgeous.  But what caught my eye was an out of the way view of the working rooftop.  The linens dancing in the wind made the most interesting shadows on the red tiles contrasting with the yellow of the building in the background.  So I snapped a few photos and headed back to the talk anxious to paint shadows.

Working on this piece made me wonder about the person who washed and hung the linens.  Were they from the hotel staff?  Did their home adjoin the hotel?  Was today linen day or did they hang all of their wash?  By the time I finished painting I almost had a novel written...that's what I mean by a "once upon time" painting!

By the way, several folks have commented about how different a painting looks when they see the real thing versus the photo.  I could not agree more...hopefully you find them better in reality.  As I look at this photo I am disappointed at the red blotches in the purple-ish shadows...they are not so startling in reality, much more blended. And the white of the fences, side and back, and linens all photographed very close in value.  In reality they differ a bit more.  Sooooo, never trust a photo (when done by an amateur such as yours truly).  However, the flatness of the photo is a good way to judge certain other elements of the composition so I guess it does have its place!

Happy spring wherever you are,

Cindy

p.s. under the category of "be careful what you wish for...": my husband has been wishing I would clean out the stuffed studio closet which is packed with unused frames, canvas, old art, shipping boxes and a lot of stuff I won't admit to owning.  I came home today to a flood...literally; water coming forth from that closet onto the carpeted floor of the studio with no sign of where it originated.  We still don't know but have turned off all the house waters til the plumber arrives.  Meanwhile, guess who is tasked with dragging it all out, drying, reassessing, trashing, and preparing to reload?  I can think of other (cheaper) ways to motivate me.