Vibrancy

Below are three of my most recent paintings. This trio is a testament to my love of color and texture. Each one boast of different environments and climates. From lush autumn forest to dry desert sierras and on to bubbling river waterfalls, each one is unique. They are all brought together by one commonality which is simply the vibrancy and life brought to them by their similar color schemes.

Feuille may sound like a weird name for a painting, and I would have to agree with that point. You see, naming paintings is an art in and of itself. Feuille means leaf in French to put it simply. I was unsure with this painting. The composition has several layered components, and the timing needed to be well thought out. Peeking through fluttering, golden, leaf covered branches is a snow-covered mountain peak. In the foreground a bridge crosses the winding creek. Orange flowers blossom in one last burst before winter sets in, and if you look closely, a curious path weaves in and out of the trunks deep in the forest. The sky is what really sets this painting off. the peak is crowned with a halo of almost-white yellow, that fades into orange, which turns to red, then moves to blue, and finally blacks out in the corners.

Desert Hues is a simple painting to look at. Beautiful in it's quietness. A high desert canyon opens onto a sparse plateau with just a few cactus plants to draw the eye. What this painting lacks in content however, it more than makes up for in color. The hues in this painting were fun to work with. Adjusting the sunset's reflection on the few wispy clouds and perfecting the shadow of the mesa in the background gave this one the perfect look in my opinion. Of course, those with better artistic eyes than me could probably point out some places where I could do better. I do love this painting though. It is so peaceful and dramatic all at once.

Brilliance was created with two separate forms of inspiration behind it. Number one, I had been listening to an audiobook where one of the two main characters is a mermaid, so water a was frequent theme in my work for a time. The second (and probably more influential) inspiration was the fact that my mom had been dropping not so subtle hints that I needed to paint more waterfalls because she loves them so much. As a result, this painting will never be available for purchase because it has been added to the "too good to sell" collection at our house. I LOVE the sunset in this one! Getting the reflection right was tricky but I think I made it work. It just seems like such a happy painting!

This trio of brightly colored canvases is displayed together in our house. The content may differ between them, but they complement each other well. We as humans have been given a great blessing, one I think most of us take for granted all our lives. That blessing is color, and more importantly, the ability to see color. I understand many people suffer with color blindness and honestly, I cannot even imagine. In my artwork I try to portray the part of the world that I see. The color-filled, not always perfect but always beautiful part. Modern art, especially amongst the younger generations, has been growing darker and darker recently. I want to fight that. With everything in me. Yes, sometimes some of my work may have and overload of black paint. But there is always a ray of hope somewhere in the gloom. And most of my paintings come out like these above, full of color and life and vibrancy.