Into the West II, ©John O’Grady
12″ x 12″ x 1.25″, acrylic on deep edge panel, ready to hang
Not for Sale (NFS)
Following on from last week’s rich saturated skyscape, this painting explores another arrangement of deep vibrant colours.
Exploring colour arrangements and mark makings is really what it’s about.
The painting changes throughout the week.
It usually starts well. Then, when it could appear to be almost finished, there is something that doesn’t work.
I had reached a stage where the sea was a gorgeous blue-green and the light blue sky was blanketed with white clouds.
But the piece lacked emotional impact and I decided to add a dynamic feel by deepening the colours.
The sky became dark blue with touches of rich purple. The clouds became sculptural cumuli with rose borders indicating where the light was coming from.
In the sea, I added some teal to better contrast with the sky and crashing waves to create impact.
I was looking to produce an energy, very much of the kind you get sometimes on the Atlantic shore.
What do you think?
I really enjoyed enlarging and looking at this painting in close detail; it has a powerful drama and dynamism and those clouds …I don’t know how you get them to look so three-dimensional, full and fluffy, yet light and vapourous. I could not imagine tiring of it’s energetic grasp of sea and sky.
Hello Chris,
Thank you for your comment. I think darkening the sky really brought the clouds into relief and gave them that ‘three dimensional quality that you mention.
I always find your comments about process so illuminating, John. Your solution to the need to intensify the emotional impact reminded me of an occasion in my (extremely limited) painting experience, where I was doing direct painting of a still life and felt that it lacked something. When I deepened the shadows and brightened the contours exposed to the light source, everything seemed suddenly to “click.” The objects had more presence; they advanced toward the viewer. I realized that exaggerating reality made the image more truthful, in an odd way — it brought out the feeling behind the image. Your clouds do look very sculptural here, and majestic, almost corporeal. The dark blue sky is particularly powerful — it feels counter-intuitive in a quite exciting way. The sea is alive, too, and the still, placid rocks anchor the scene both visually and emotionally. I never cease to be amazed by how masterfully you work with analogous colors. The Atlantic shore clearly provides a rich vein of inspiration for you.
Hello Jo
Thank you for relating experience with the still life painting you made. Yes I think it is a very similar experience to what I felt about this painting. It lacked something and by ‘exaggerating’ reality it seemed to change the atmosphere and hang together more. It’s interesting you mention as well that it is ‘counter-intuitive’ with this I am also in agreement, sometimes I have to consciously break out of for want of a better term representing reality, as I can end up with something safe.
Hello Jo
Thank you for relating experience with the still life painting you made. Yes I think it is a very similar experience to what I felt about this painting. It lacked something and by ‘exaggerating’ colour and reality it seemed to change the atmosphere and hang together more. It’s interesting you mention as well that it is ‘counter-intuitive’ with this I am also in agreement, sometimes I have to consciously break out of, for want of a better term representing reality, as I can end up with something too safe.