Sometimes one painting leads to another. This is what happened with the most recent painting,
Last Light. After I did it, the idea of deeply shadowed alleyways prompted me to look at photos I took last winter. This new one depicts early morning light on Polish Hill. The tricky aspect of this painting was to keep the hillside in the distance, even though it is warm. Conversely, the foreground is in deep, bluish shadow and normally these cool colors tend to recede. I think of these scenes as urban canyons where light darts through openings, creating tension because of the imposing masses.
10 comments:
Ron, this is utterly amazing. What a wonderful painting! It's really good to see "every day" sort of scenes turned into great art. It's easy to fall into the trap of looking for classicly "artistic" subjects rather than recognizing the artistic in our normal surroundings (which is what we're supposed to be up to, right?) Fabulous job on your urban canyon. What's your technique for the delicate lines?
I love your term "urban canyon." You did an excellent job keeping the hillside in the distance and relaying the coolness of the foreground. Do you freehand when you sketch this or do you use a ruler? Your lines in your compositions always amaze me, so meticulous. It's a beautiful piece!
Funny how that yellow leads you way back into the painting. Wonderful!
This painting is now another favorite and at last, when I clicked on it, it was large enough for me to see the details. I called and inquired about your exhibit at the Gov's mansion. We're looking forward to seeing more of your work.
Dianne and Christine,
Thanks for the awesome comments!
This is a pretty large piece so it appears to have sharp lines even though it is very loosely painted. The small reproduction creates the illusion of detail. I did the entire thing in "one go", alla prima, 7hrs. I don't use any rulers. Thin lines are put in with riggers or flats using the narrow side of the brush. Thin paint and quick strokes work best, never pressing on the brush.
Another awesome post Ron!
A fantastic painting! Love it!
Spectacular Ron! That warm light in the distance just draws me back - as well as all the very well drawn perspective lines which, as Christine commented, look so precise.
Stunning! The sunlight hitting the more distant buildings pulls my eye right into the painting - you have a wonderful depth to this Ron. This is a painting I will be coming back to visit, study, and enjoy!
I'm amazed you could do this in seven hours. I like everything about it, but especially the color of the sun hitting that greyish (or you might say off-white) wall on the left.
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