Dawn Banishes the Night

Dawn Banishing the Night 18 x 24 Mixed Media
Goddess Series

Okay, I think this is finished. I said in this morning's blog that I had an issue I was dealing with on this painting based on Arches National Park's Double Arch. The issue was depth or rather the lack of it. My solution was glazes using Chinese white in part. The sky I did with the white, a blue and an iridescent medium. The large tower in the back center left was glazed with white and yellow.

The large arch was poured to give it a huge feel. Brush strokes to me seem to make things seem smaller. Or maybe it is just the size of the brush which has its individual limitations while pouring has none. I generally pour skies because of that large feeling pouring gives you but as the double arch breaks the sky into two smaller pieces this sky is painted. Dawn forms the support of the smaller of the arches.

Last night when I went to bed this painting was unfinished and I thought maybe lost. I believe the glazes worked. I am living with it for a couple of days before signing and varnishing. As we know I do change my mind from time to time.

Finished the 14 x 14 church painting I was also doing and will post that next.

Are We There Yet?

This is my newest painting. I don't think it is done yet so I photographed it. I find that when I see the image on my computer screen it allows a distance and objectivity I cannot necessarily achieve with the canvas. This is especially true of my medium to large works. This one, as yet unnamed, is 20 x 24.

This is one of my Goddess series paintings and as such should have a one named title (without the The). Previous ones in the series have been The Journey, The Source, The Passage, The Sentries. I am thinking of Font or Spring.

I experimented with some glazes in this work. All my watercolor friends talk of glazes. I used a white glaze over the canyon walls beyond the central figure to provide distance. I had a watercolor teacher in college that was very fond of the white glaze. And I made greater use of lettering nibs and ink instead of "sharpies" or Pentel pens. It gives a variance of line I find I prefer even if they are more difficult to handle.

I think I would like to approach this subject in a vertical canvas at some date but I have awaiting me an unfinished landscape and two large churches with a paranormal theme. So later. Then of course there is decided whether this one is done.