Above is a 5X7 watercolor sketch done from a photo I took a few years ago. I had been thinking for a while how I would work a painting from the image. I am fascinated by the way light reveals a subject. So in this exercise, I simplified and "cooled down" the light cast on the subject and the ground. I also simplified the shapes and used the shadows to unify the painting. Why now? Friday I had a wonderful conversation with a dear studio neighbor at LibertyTown, Kathleen Walsh. She recently returned from Africa and was brainstorming a theme for a group of paintings inspired by the area. Part of the brainstorming... the commonalities of simple life experiences... a mother's sigh when she sees the price of milk, mother's scolding, and children's laughter... all sound the same no matter where you hear them in the world. I took this photo in San Antonio, Tx but have seen this scene reenacted many times in other parts of the world; a child playing with pigeons. Recognizing the simple experiences we share offers a hint of interrelatedness and, hopefully, a unity among people.
3 comments:
Ariel, this is wonderful. I love the sketchiness of your painting, few strokes to tell so much, and the idea of unity. Your work just gets better and better!
Elizabeth
Hello :)I fing your blog by accident and as you can see my englis is not that good.I am from Slovakia and I really like your paintings.You have talent :)
Thank you so much for your comments.
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