recent paintings and news

recent paintings and news

Saturday, August 6, 2011

Rendezvous with Queen Ann


I had started this painting last August and did not have time in that same month to complete it. Driven by the seasons I don’t like to resume a painting at a different time i.e. I could never paint summer when snow is flying outside. well. Having said that, sometimes I do-just to warm me up and keep my memory sharp(:0

The days here this August, with the atmosphere overcast and heavy, inspired me to resume ‘August with Queen Ann’. I am always struck by the patterns and shapes that wild flowers make and lucky for me, these vineyards have been left ‘un weeded’








August with Queen Ann
acrylic on canvas
36x48in, 2011
available


The intention was to build the work with an acrylic under painting.  Although I made preliminary sketches I knew there would be compositional challenges. Acrylic, for me, is a little easier to work with until I get the underlying structure and pallet sorted-especially on a large surface.

I kept going with it though as I enjoyed working thin and with glazes. Also since my studio has been boiling hot with all of this humidity (miss my big shady tree) painting with lots of water and a spritzer felt a wee bit cooler. The downside of working with acrylic in hot humidity is that it does not completely cure-especially if you use it with a medium.  Because it is a polymer and really works like glue, in the humidity it can adhere to itself rather than the substrate you’re working on.
I had to use my blowdryer a LOT to thoroughly dry the work between layers. Hence contradicting my ‘keeping cool’ theory…

below is another rendezvous with Queen Ann ...




August,  Morning with Queen Ann 
acrylic on canvas, 12x24in, 2009
sold

4 comments:

  1. Très joli travail que celui de ces vignes... Une merveilleuse harmonie de couleurs.
    gros bisous

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  2. Beautiful painting Jan, I do love your landscapes of the vines they are very special to me. The colours especially in the top August painting are very lovely and evocative of this time of the year.

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  3. To martinrealism thank you again for what i hope is a compliment

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  4. Caroline i so very much appreciate your comment re colours of this season-i am still having a hard time getting 'true' colours with this computer program

    Also when i brought the painting into the gallery yesterday the halogens seemed to wreak havoc on the colours that i rendered in natural light-so am toying with the idea of an oil glaze or warm varnish to even things out--i will also be glad to again work in oil-hope to revisit 'the one' that i was losing sleep over..we'll seee...

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