Beests and Beauties

 

upper detail of the painting

Above is a first pass on the addition of wildebeest and the start of some zebra. My goal is to make them recognizable but not unduly pull the focus from the cat.

 

 

Continuing the Background

 

As the background "gets closer" I am incorporating more saturated and richer greens. The pop of the tree in the middle distance is designed to keep one's eyes moving in to the background after exploring the near distance.

 

 

 

 

 

Starting a new painting

 Some of my painting ideas come to me fully designed but most start with a kernel. 

 

This idea was born after reviewing a set of lion photos I took. The background didn't do much for me so I started looking through hundreds of my landscape photos from Kenya and Tanzania. Many hours later I had worked out a composition. Hmm. Nice. Good dappled light. Pretty scene. But, it felt like it was not a complete story.

 

Time to start over. What would make for a good story? What story haven't I told? Why, of all the lions I have photographed in Africa, am I drawn to this particular one right now? Well, for starters, I like the lighting on him. From the series of photos I took of this lion is there one which has the making of a better story?

 

I selected 3 or 4 of the lion from a different angle than the first composition and then went back in to my African landscape photos. There were numerous possibilities for the background but then I hit on a set which started to tell a story I really liked. They would need a lot of changes, including populating them with more animals. 

 

While working on a composition I find using the mirror function helpful. If something looks odd flipped it probably looks odd not flipped. Sometimes I decide the entire scene needs to be flipped or just part of it (keeping in mind to have the lighting consistent.)

 

It took a long time to work out my story but once I did, time to decide on a size, gesso the board, and start drawing. With the drawing outlines done, I add a light turpentine wash of yellow ochre and let that dry at least a day before starting with oil paint.

 

 

 

 

Surprised by art

 I just returned last night from a trip to Norway with visits to Amsterdam on either end. If one loves art, a trip to the Rijksmuseum is almost a necessity. As this was my first trip to this amazing museum there were pieces on my must-see list.

 Of course the Night Watch by Rembrandt was at the top of the list. Particularly fascinating is the ongoing restoration of the original colors in the painting which have been obscured by centuries of dirt and darkening varnish. One can now see it is not a night scene at all as the vivid central characters break forth from the canvas. The painting was created in 1642 but the title was assigned not by the artist but at the end of the 18th century. Once the restoration is complete Rembrandt's genius will be even more apparent in this magnificent painting. 

 Many were gathered admiring Vermeer's Milkmaid. So much is said in such a simple everyday scene. The painting is only 18" X 16" but feels so much larger as one is drawn in to the story. 

 While these pieces are certainly on almost everyone's bucket list, I like to leave myself open to be surprised by works I have never seen nor heard of. Most of the art I have been exposed to has been from the Italian Renaissance or Baroque periods. Unless they are particularly well-known, my knowledge of paintings from the Netherlands is limited.

I was most surprised by a work by Cesar Boetius van Everdingen (1617 - 1678.) It was not near the two paintings mentioned above but was in another wing. I stepped around a corner and stopped in my tracks. Its simple beauty was overwhelming. (please excuse the the quick phone photo below which does not do it justice.)

 When I read the museum's description I was even more intrigued. 

 

A Young Woman Warming her Hands over a Brazier: Allegory of Winter 

oil on canvas, c. 1644-1648

 

The young woman warms her hands above a dish of glowing coals. She personifies Winter. This season was usually represented as a shabbily dressed old man or woman: old because the year is coming to an end, and poor because crops do not grow in the winter. Van Everdingen's choice of a young, richly attired woman is thus rather unusual. 

 

 

 

 

Finished

 

Seventh Continent

18" X 24"

Original Oil by Linda Besse