A quick silhouette style painting! On the road late in the day, the light fades, causing the objects nearest to the viewer look very dark, which then allows for a dramatic silhouette effect. Watercolor paint always dries lighter so I found myself going back several times to darken the foreground. Then, you naturally look toward the lighter areas in the painting. Finally, I added cable wires for more perspective.
We were driving home one evening on a “school night” *gasp*…the sky really captured my attention. At this time of the day, the greenery, barn, and road are sort of muted in color and tone, as the sky is lit up in the few remaining moments before the sun has set. And so, in this painting the sky becomes “the story” or the point of focus. There’s this feeling of calm at the end of the day… less to do (hopefully), maybe a cup of tea and less TV.
Mine Brook (above) is a brook that runs parallel (for a while) with the street I live on (today), and flows into the North Branch of the Raritan River. Attempting to re-create a place that is local is always more special than doing a scene that I have traveled to once (or twice), especially, if I don’t consider that landscape “home”. For instance, looking at a painting of a desert may not resonate with me the way it would with a resident of a desert landscape. I’m accustomed to hardwood trees like oak, maple, and hickory; rivers, streams, and slight rocky elevations (Piedmont); fields, swamps, and marshes in the lowlands. These types of landscape characteristics have engrained themselves in me as signs of home. This is not to say that people can’t find a new home in a new landscape. The painting of Mine Brook is embellished, of course, as it is the artist’s responsibility. In reality, the brook is more like a tiny trickle, which gives the impression that it will dry up by next morning. Yet, it continues to trickle on and after a good rain the brook comes alive with a strong steady flow once again…
Watercolor on rough paper
I felt the urge to paint such a scene because of what it represents to me; contentedness. We’ve traveled thousands of miles only to find ourselves in complete desolation, at a gas station with a trading post sign and a rusty old truck. This scene is located less than a mile away from the 4 corners national monument at the intersection of 4 states; Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. The area is home to the Navajo people and they take great pride in their land. To an outsider this area may seem empty and uninhabitable, but the people that live here might know the secrets of this land and they are content to live in this unique and beautiful landscape.
Always Wandering Art 