A Little Nostalgia

Change of Pace

As I struggle to find my way 

with landscape painting,

 it's time for something 

more in my comfort zone

drawing...

here specifically life drawing

Header Art

I've been asked about the art piece

 used in my header

and although it is displayed in the sidebar 

it doesn't seem to enlarge enough to be easily read....

so here's a repost!

 The mysteries of flight may be symbolized by the story of Icarus 

whose wings of wax and feathers 

melted as he flew too close to the sun 

sending him crashing into the sea. 

But the secrets of flight were hidden 

not up in the air 

but under the ground as fossil evidence.

The concepts of balance and symmetry

 have long fascinated artists. 

The dinosaur archaeopteryx

possessed asymmetrical feathers, 

the leading edge being narrower 

and more streamlined.

This enabled the wings 

to slice through the air permitting 

at least rudimentary flight.

(Source of info National Geographic  - Dinosaurs Take Wings - 1998).

Spring Birches in Pastel

One idea often leads to another.

 My recent post of the back lit cedar grove

was an experiment in dark against light.

 This grove of young trees in early spring
was an opportunity to concentrate on light against dark.

Here the soft light filtering through the trees emphasizes 

the shadowing growth under and behind the light coloured
 birches.

This was the photo source. 

I liked the interesting patterns
 of delicate trunks and spring greens.

In the photo below 

I've high-lighted the patterns I wanted to use.

The vertical tree trunks create a gentle rhythm 

across the page

and that is echoed 

by the line of dark shadows.

Patterns in nature

I'm less interested in a literal rendering of the scene

but am attempting to capture a certain quality.

The photo of my pastel slightly distorts the colors, 

the overall effect less harsh in the red/ green contrast.

Revisiting a favourite painting location

Backlit Cedar Ridge in Pastel on Canson

Although I take hundreds of photos 

there are certain subjects 

which keep drawing me back.

Here is a re-visit to that group of old cedars 

(near the marsh) at Presqu'ile Provincial Park.

Inspired by Van Gogh

As the temperature hovers near freezing in southern Ontario,

 I'm organizing 

(in the coziness of the studio)

that huge stock of photos 

I've accumulated over the last few months.

This springtime snap reminded me of a Van Gogh oil....

It is the pattern of filtered light and dark shadows

 that drew me to the composition.

I thought I could make the dark trunk balance with the bright whites of the trilliums 

scattered in the shadows at the base of the tree.

Trilliums are most abundant  in the rich composted soil 

at the base of mature deciduous trees.
 

Pastel Study - Ferns and Rocks

In this example I revisit a study from 2012. 

In the original pencil crayon

 I explored the textural differences of rocks, grasses and ferns.

In the pastel I eliminated the grasses 

in order to concentrate on the contrast 

between feathery  ferns and angular rocks.

In the process I discovered 

(much to my surprise!)

that I could get transparency 

with a lighter touch 

and layering pastel colour.