Sunset Strip

Sunset Strip

On the last day of an unseasonably warm November, I thought it fitting to share a fun new piece titled Sunset Strip, recently brought in to Siiviis Gallery in Duluth, MN. This painting is 12x36, acrylic on canvas, and features white pine flanking a rocky river, with distant pine ridges in the background. But what really sets this painting apart is the dazzling gold sky, casting gold shadows on the foreground river banks and brightening the overall feel of the piece. I don't need to go to California to see the Sunset Strip, I just need to go out on the Lake Superior Trail on any given summer evening. So long summer, hello winter.

White Pine River

"White Pine River", 4"w x 12"h

Instead of complaining about how cold the weather is here in Duluth this past week, I thought I'd post a summer painting of white pines along a lazy flowing river somewhere north of here. As I paint, there are works that have a natural satisfaction to them as I complete them, and there are works in progress as I like to call them, works that don't feel right. This was one of those in progress pieces, titled White Pine River, one that I wasn't sure was going to ever take off. I struggled with the sky, as you view the top of the piece, you'll see a deep cobalt sky, and it was just too dark for me. At one point, I wanted to start over, the whole piece was just too dark, but I took it as an opportunity to just load the paint on the canvas and see what happens. When it was all said and done, this piece was my favorite of the three in this series that I'll be posting here in the next couple of days. Because I started dark in color and added several layers, I achieved a depth of texture in this piece that may actually influence my work going forward. It's that time of year that I reflect on what I've accomplished in the past year, and going forward into a new year, there just may be some depth of color and texture that will give my work the visual punch I so often desire. Now, if only I could walk along this white pine river for a while, in the summer heat, listening to the water splash and tumble along the rocks, listening to the wind rustle through the pine needles ... please contact Riverwood Gallery in Eau Claire, WI for more information on today's piece.

Aspire

"Aspire" 12"w x 24"h

This piece was painted alongside another painting which I featured on yesterday's post titled Ever Reaching. This painting, titled Aspire, has one white pine as it's focal point, along with five maples on a ridge behind it. While I added in my usual elements, such as rocks, shadows, color, etc ... I really focused on the branches of the white pine in this piece. As I've been driving around Duluth, I've been noticing how interesting the forms of the white pines are. They don't grow straight or predictable branches such as you'd find in a spruce. Their branches jut out every which way, often with larger branches in the middle of the tree, and small branches above and below. Perhaps that's why I like the white pines, they're not afraid to be different. Logging in northern Minnesota has taken it's toll on these majestic trees, but you'll still find them in areas too difficult to reach by foot, or in the yards of homes built over a hundred years ago. Please contact Lizzards Gallery for more information on today's piece.