Here we are at the end of
my 30 in 30-day painting challenge and I have got to say that it zoomed by, I must
have had fun.
I enjoyed exploring
composition and colors with these alla-prima paintings. From the beginning I
intended to concentrate on design and composition but as I reflect over the collection
I started to see an unexpected story being told. As I was looking at the big
forms in nature, a theme quickly
evolved that was about earth and sky and water. Lots of weather effects,
dramatic skies, sunsets and clouds, the forces of nature. So I was happy that they collectively
communicated the spirit of the natural world.
My approach was to be as
direct and complete with my brush as I could and record the motif in front of
me. The goal was to make quick and spontaneous decisions, describing things
simply and abstractly. Yet hang onto that illusion of real space and place and
the experience of it. I find myself looking a lot at the Barbizon painters, Charles-Francois
Daubigny and Jean Baptiste Camille Corot and the Russian School of the late nineteenth century Isaac Levitan and Ilya
Repin. These painters handle the sense
of space so masterfully, so much abstraction in their work, brush handling, surfaces
and texture. They could just drag the viewer into the atmosphere of the
painting
Anyway this is where my
head has been during this endeavor. Looking for insight from artist of the past
and observing the world for inspiration.
You can see all 30 paintings at my Pochade Box Painting blog.
Explore - Question - Learn - - Enjoy, Jim
Website - jimserrett.com
Studio Blog - jimserrettstudio.com
Landscape Blog - Pochade Box Paintings
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