Thursday Stories- Canyon Noon Shadows

Today's painting is about bending some of the "rules" of painting.


"Canyon Noon Shadows" is one of those pieces that almost painted itself.

It is of a subject that I am quite familiar with, as I have visited this spot often, in all seasons, and at different times of the day.
This is a studio painting, and it went easily...all of the plein air work in this place paid off!

The time of day is near mid-day, which is often derided as a bad time of day to paint. It is true that light can be flat and uninteresting at this time. But, I have found that if I go for a backlit view of my subject, then it becomes  a very inspiring subject. the sun was rising high, and just starting to cast light on sections of the cliff face. This sliver of light, in turn, created some beautiful reflected light.
So much for the " rule " of avoiding noon paintings.

It is painted on Canson Mi-Teintes paper; a non-sanded surface that has been around for a long time.
Some say that " serious " pastel work needs to be done on a sanded surface. True, it is an inexpensive paper, but I have always liked the effects that one can get  by using it.To me, it has  a softer feel, which is good fro more interesting edges. I do believe that it is a great paper for learning strokes, and becoming aware of the necessary  pressure used with sticks. I also think that it is a good " one go " paper...not a lot of tooth for many layers, and certainly not for corrections. I do layer, and there are a few passes to build some of the layers up, but I went at this with a sure hand. I was pleased with the result, and it is one of the paintings I am not ashamed to put out there. In fact I know a few artists who do museum quality work on this surface.

So, don't be afraid to bend some of the rules. The trick is in knowing and using the rules well, and knowing when to bend them to advantage, all to come up with a good painting!

This painting is on my web site artworks, in the " Amazing Arizona " section.
www.christinedebrosky.com

Comments

  1. UnknownJuly 27, 2018 at 10:14 AM

    great piece christine, and serious pastel work is work done well on any archival paper!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Christine DebroskyJuly 29, 2018 at 12:52 PM

      Thank you so much. when I started with pastel, it was one of only a few choices available. Now, many more choices, but I still like it!

      Delete

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