Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Challenge of vertical

Lewis River 4
24 x 18
pastel on Wallis Museum


Turn the paper from landscape to portrait and a whole wagon load of challenges appear. Where is the interest? How can I move the eye of the viewer up and around and back up again? It's a sure sign that I'm learning something new when I pace around my studio and growl at the painting on the easel!

That pretty much describes my day.

How was your day?

7 comments:

loriann signori said...

Love the swirly feel in this one. I think you are on to something! Keep pacing.

Katherine van Schoonhoven said...

Thanks, Loriann. I think that I've gotten too comfortable with horizontal, so the vertical is throwing me back out to where it's confusing and hard to figure out. I think that the growling is helping, but I'll keep on pacing, too. Thanks for the comment!

Jan Yates, SCA, Canada said...

I like it--emulates the ebb and flowy you've depicted-or you've intuitively rendered it to compliment the vertical format--am so enjoying this water rhythm series--your colours and value shifts are beautifully handled--haven't visited in a while and interesting to see these respites of monochrome still lifes in-between the expressive colurs-

Celeste Bergin said...

Well. If growling gets this kind of result..I guess growling is ok! I am enjoying the energy of these new water paintings, each one better than the last!

SamArtDog said...

For sure, these choppy waters are worth the trouble.

I try not to growl in the studio. It scares the dog.

Theresa Evans said...

Just happened on your blog and so glad i found it. Such beautiful colours and shapes in this. I love theway you handle pastels - very painterly.

Mary Sheehan Winn said...

It looks like swirling water to me but that you're thinking like that about your works shows your professionalism.