Lodgepole Pines

I love the patterns that are created in the reference pictures of the lodgepole pines.  I would like to include the power of the pattern of the trunks AND tops without making the painting about the lumber industry.  Clearly a layering effect will contribute to the patterns, repetition AND shadows I need.  Let's start with a few trees. 

This group of five trees are the furthest away.  They are almost in a row and almost the same height.  I wanted to be sure that the central portion of the trunks is very exposed and most of the green growth is at the top, in front of the clouds.  

I started adding sprigs of green, being very careful to keep the majority of the trunks exposed.  I will need to focus on the tree tops once all of the "stand" is in place. 

The minimalist side of me says, "OK, that's good - stop now..."  Well, at least I will stop for TODAY. 

Background Layer

Thinking about the reference picture of the lodgepole pines that emphasized the trees in the background, I decided to begin with this image.  I painted the entire canvas in a range of cerulean blues, and then clouds.  Many of my paintings include a distant, horizon-line type thicket of scrubby trees and shrubbery, so I decided to include that type of brush here, as well.  As soon as I began painting, however, I realized that they types of trees and shrubs had to be very different in shape, size and color that those I included in my Florida Keys scenes.  The colors also needed to be not only darker, but much more muted and.....purple. 

The band of horizon-line trees and grass includes pines, hardwoods, and birch.  Note there is also prairie grass. 

Right from the start, I began using tape to maintain a straight, horizontal horizon line.  Later, aspects of this line might change, but for now, this creates the basics for me.

Building on top of the most distant layer, note the addition of the second layer of trees and prairie grasses.  I will need to proceed carefully so that the prairie does not appear to have a series of railroad tracks running through it maintaining the horizontal line. 

Sky, clouds, trees #1, and trees #2 = four layers

Compiling Reference Materials

As I traveled through northern Minnesota I began collecting images that I wanted to use as reference material for a painting.   For the past couple of years, most of the painting I have completed have depended heavily on one or two photographs as the core reference material.  At the encouragement  of Bill, I am trying to plan ahead to compose a painting from my own ideas and NOT from a photograph.

Below are some of the reference images I collected with the possibility of needing them to give accuracy and/or authenticity to my creation.

Roadside lodgepole pines.  There are four components I am interested in here:  the sky and clouds in the background, the layers of trees in the foreground, the lighting on the bare tree trunks, and the grasses in the foreground.

Roadside lodgepole pine #2.  The density of the tops of the trees compared to the mid-tree layer AND the visibility of the trees in the background are visually interesting in this picture.  

I like the jagged, ruggedness of the boulders on the far side of the river here (just before the water crashes over the high water fall at the horizontal line in this picture,) but have concerns about the sameness of the colors despite the fact that all of the boulders and rocks are wet.  Gooseberry Falls State Park

The motion and turbulence in the water, particularly around the rocks, has great visual appeal.  This picture was taken the morning after a particularly heavy rainfall.  Two Harbors, MN. 

Scaffolded thinking

As I was thinking about the use of technology and the way in which Tim's Vermeer project allowed him to work with aspects of light, dark and contrast, I was reminded of a Vermeer contemporary, Diego Valazquez.  He was born in 1599 in Seville, Spain and did his most productive work just prior to Vermeer's most productive years.   When I visited the Prado Museum, in Madrid, the work of Velazquez made an impression.  The piece with the strongest use of light was called, "The Drinkers," and can be seen below.

"The Drinkers" by Diego Velazquez

The human form seemed to be the primary subject of this era and the one before it, and many of the earlier paintings were commissioned by wealthy families to capture the images of powerful leaders and their family members in their finest regalia.  The seventeenth century began to reveal more images of the common person engaged in either daily activities or "evening" activities.  Many still contained a religious overtone, and either a secular warning or reminder.  

Once again it is the lighting in the work of Velazquez that is so engaging to me.  Not only does he contrast lights and dark in the technical aspects of painting, but he also uses light to reveal his true "hero" of the scene.  So, while the drinkers with the bowl of brew are the focus of the action, Baccus, is clearly the key figure if the emphasis if the lights and darks reveal the focus of the composition.  

Clearly the technical skills of Vermeer and Velazquez are outstanding.   We can learn a lot from the way in which each uses the light and contrasting lights and darks to paint their subject matter.   What are the take-aways for today's painters, in the way Vermeer and Velazquez use light to tell their story within the painted image is a subplot to the development process.   When telling a story or sending a social, political, religious, etc. message, how much do modern-day artists manipulate light and contrast to create emphasis?  How far can the use of light be manipulated before the image looks mystical or contrived?  Does the suggested use of optical mechanics diminish the impact of the Vermeer story?  How does that translate to the use of photographic equipment today?  

Technology application - continued thinking

Just as I am in the midst of thinking about the ways in which I can better use technology to improve my painted images and painting process, I stumble onto the last half of a documentary entitled "Tim's Vermeer."  The main "character" is an inventor named Tim Jenison, a creative and inventive man who some consider to be the father of the modern desktop video era.

"The Music Lesson" - Johannes Vermeer, 1662 - 1665, Buckingham Palace

Beginning in 2008, Jenison began to analyze the paintings of Dutch Master Johannes Vermeer, and further focused his investigation and eventual experimentation, on the "The Music Lesson," see above.

Through detailed analysis, set construction, optical invention, and eventually actual painting, Jenison's work supports the invention and use of man-made optics by Vermeer, to analyze environments and replicate them in painted form.  Much of the mid-documentary language refers to the "photographic qualities" and the "photographic clarity" of both images and light, but this language does not follow throughout to the end.  Additional questions in his investigation push him beyond this more technical, but superficial level of image analysis.

Although Jenison is not a painter, his theories about invention and application result in the step-by-step documentation of his eventual painting process.  Overall, Jenison dedicated five years to this work, a total of 1,825 days.  Others involved in the project included Penn and Teller and David Hockney, also seen in the documentary.  

Jenison makes a case for not only the co-dependance of invention and art, but for the oneness of invention AND art - at least in the mid 17th century.  Throughout the documentary, Penn revisits the notion that inventiveness and art are one in the same, on a continuum, or perhaps on a parallel plain.  Which ever you believe, the evidence provided and the ideas put forth are great food for thought.  As I shared in my Monday post, technology does play a role in some of the work I do......should it be more or less, or are they the same????????????   Hmmmmmm - great questions. 

This is a documentary that is worth watching for anyone spending time painting.  As always, I am a great proponent of thinking about not only the image, but the process, and the "artistic license" elements of each work.  This documentary has played at a great time for my reflection about technology AND the manipulation of the painted surface to an artist-determined end.

 Below is a quote from Jenison. 

Tim Jenison:  "There's also this modern idea that art and technology must never meet - you know, you go to school for technology or you go to school for art, but never for both... And in the Golden Age, they were one and the same person..."

So, what role does technology play in your creative, drawing, sculpting, sketching, etc. process?  Consciously, unconsciously, deliberately?  How do you know if it has worked in a way that either enhances your images, pushes your skill, or both??  

 

Reference Photo

Reference photograph

 I like to have my own reference material when sketching, drawing, or painting.  When it comes to actual images, it seems the "truth" is often more contrived looking than an imagined subject.  I try to use my own photo images.  Above is one of the photographs of the rectangular vase containing the iris stems that I based yesterday's painting on.

The down-side of depending solely on my own photographs is the limited range of my photo shoots.  It really helps to have an idea about subject matter, in advance.  Stumbling onto a wonderful image has made the capacity of the cameras in cell phones a real treasure?  As I was driving down our street today, a spontaneous parade appeared from under a neighbors shrubs and proceeded across the yard.  While I don't think I will using this photo to paint an acrylic-on-canvas painting, this is the perfect example of an unexpected image that has fabulous potential to become.......a reference.   Fortunately I could pull over to the curb and park to catch this picture.  As you can see, the parade abruptly stopped when I pulled over.

Spontaneous parade

A quick snap of the picture and I was on my way so that the family outing could continue for these brand new ducklings!