the 3 paintings i worked on today: left to right-purple rock II, spring creek and easter creek
this is the landscape my mentee k. is working on. he was in my studio today. i think it’s extratordinary. he’s 13.
5:02 PM: this morning my energy was high, and i was able to continue wrok on spring creek & purple rock II as well as strating working on the new easter creek: 48x20”. you can see all three hanging on my east studio wall, ABOVE.
purple rock II
purple rock II may be close to being resolved. it has taken on a pinkish glow, and a few areas are inspired by taiga’s 18th c. hanging scrolls, some of which are painted on silk. this inspiration, which began yesterday, spilled over to the other two paintings and, i could say, into the small landscape my mentee k. continued working on.
because of this influence and the shift to a warmer ground color, it stands apart from the rest of the series and has begun to show the benefits of painting in layers, as i have been doing; one painting over another until resolution is attained.
spring creek has evolved and is in it’s best state yet, it’s so skinny: 12x48” that i was having a hard time compositionally. today for the first time it exhibits a coherence and flow. when you have a challenge like this, it’s very tempting to come form your head. that never works. one of the ways i deal with this is by deliberately working on 2 or today 3 canvasses on the same day. i forget about it, move on to a new reality and then am able to come back to it with a fresh eye, take more chances, then allow it to rest again.