Loss & New Beginnings
healing through creative practice
“Nature is the purest portal to inner-peace.”
~Angie Weiland Crosby
Hi Friends, I hope this finds you well. I took a back seat from posting as I have been processing a personal loss. On January 25th we lost my sweet 91 year old dad. Dad and I shared a very close bond. We shared a deep love for both nature and gardening. Dad was my nature soul friend; he is so deeply missed.
I shared a few thoughts about my dad in my recent Studio News. If you would like you can read my thoughts here.
As always when life dips low, I return to nature and my art practice for solace. I mentioned in my last post that I was beginning a larger piece of work. I’ve been making headway on this new piece and am almost reaching the finish line. Below I share how I began this new painting and the resources that helped guide my journey.
Where it all Begins
All my work begins out in the field. It has been my mode of operation for many years. My experience and emotional reaction to the outdoor space I’m working in, is the foundation necessary for my studio work.
Working on location allows all my senses to be engaged which stimulates creative and emotional responses that I could not attain by only observing a photo. Of course it is a more time consuming and involved process, but in the end it feels authentic and true to my artistic expression.
As a creative, I feel it’s important to recognize what processes work best for you and what ones resonate with the visual story you wish to tell. In the end one can only hope that somehow that “real” experience gets translated into the work being expressed.
Inspiration
My inspiration for this piece was ignited while painting in a favorite location about 30min. from home. It was a balmy summer evening in July of 2023. I was alone scouting out a scene that would attract my attention. I knew when I spotted this scene, I needed to capture its grandeur in paint.
A short video spanning the area I found inspiring. You can hear the ocean on the other side of the road. This is the inner harbor which is often calmer than the open ocean.
The lighting, clouds above the distant mountains and calmness of the evening fueled my creative response. I knew I had to work quickly, due to the ever-changing light. Working in early evening presents time challenges. The light lessens quickly creating more obvious changes on both land and sky.
I had to work at a quick pace on my plein air study as the light was changing continually and the arrival of mosquitoes made my painting session less enjoyable! lol Although my study was a close up version of the lower clouds and distant land, it proved to be helpful when completing a zoomed out painted view of the area in my studio version.
Quick clip while painting on location in Big Island, N.S.
Helpful Notes
Not only is my painting study a helpful resource, but also the notes or impressions recorded while on location. These are usually written after I finish painting. The following is an excerpt from my notebook written on the same night I painted.
July 12/23 (Between 7-8pm or so)
The air is moist with the heat of the day. A calm settles into the evening as dramatic clouds hover over the land. The sun is lower in the sky, adding brightly lit areas on the distant land.
Quickly, I race against time to capture the essence of the hour. The light changes rapidly…brush and paint dance quickly in order to learn and experience nature’s beauty.
On a second night, I returned to this same location to record a few more notes and impressions. But oh my goodness, the mosquitoes were beyond tolerable, so I retreated to my car and recorded some color notes for future reference. Here is an excerpt from my notes.
July 14/23 (Between 7-8pm)
Came down to mix colors and add notes for the scene I painted July 12. But the mosquitoes were so bad, I couldn’t mix paint. So I went for a swim and now writing some color notes by observing the scene.
Lots of atmospheric perspective between mountains and foliage on bank—hazy blue with blue/ violet haze in shadows
Water: Blue/green —Ultramarine Blue, Sap Green with a bit of Transparent Red Oxide
Once back in the studio, I gathered my plein air study, notes and photos, along with other completed cloud studies to begin planning a larger studio painting.
Planning & Studio Study
To circumvent problems with my upcoming painting, I painted a study based on my vision for the larger painting. My study helped me plan both the composition and color palette for this future work.
It was time well spent as I resolved compositional and color problems. Problems that would probably have arisen while working on the larger piece if I had not worked them out in a smaller format. Studies take extra time, but are well worth the effort!
Little scan of both studies
I hope you enjoyed this behind the scenes account of my process. I love hearing your thoughts! Please feel free to share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.
Future Post
Stay tuned for a future post sharing my finished studio painting and thoughts behind my process. Below is a pic of my study and reference information as well as a glimpse of my large panel ready for future painting sessions. Take note of one of my studio assistants critiquing my beginning!
P.S. I am presently almost finished this larger painting, so I’ll be sharing a future post about it soon.
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Sorry for your loss 💕
Appreciate the additional time in sharing your personal process; it’s helpful for burgeoning amateur painters. Also appreciate the shot including your studio supervisor, who seems pleased with your work.
Debbie, I think you could be a writer, as well as a wonderful artist/painter, I love your 'helpful note' of July 12th made me feel like I was right there with you, such a beautiful expression of your impressions. I've read it several times and it really invokes a peaceful feeling; it will be a keeper for me. It's sort of like the old saying to "stop and smell the roses".
Wilma Jenkins