The Sunday Post- the Creation of "Aspen Shadow Dance"

As some of you noticed ( thank you for following! ) I  missed  posting " Thursday  Stories" .
So, I will put a little more effort in to this one  and publish a demo, plus the story behind a favorite painting.

                                             "Aspen Shadow Dance", pastel, 24x30.


This work is special...the circumstances behind it were one of those rare lighting situations that only happen every once in a while, and only last for a few moments. We are sometimes lucky enough to be in the right place, at the right time.

I had been out to a dinner , up at high elevation just outside of Flagstaff, Arizona. It had been rainy, raw and windy as a storm was going through; we were in our " monsoon" season.
The storm ended, and the sun broke through, illuminating this grove of aspen. I quickly excused myself, ran outside, ( literally) and took a few photos. I stood there and just watched as the setting sun cast a beautiful burnished glow on the grouping of young and older trees.
I stayed there as long as it all lasted...taking mental notes, thinking of colors, shapes, and how I would paint this.
Once back in the studio, I made several sketches, combining a few shots.

Here is the start of the painting, which was done on Art Spectrum mounted paper, in a light umber color.

I started like I usually do, with a thumbnail sketch for my value design , and  composition .

Then, on my mounted pastel board I drew my outlines, and my massed dark shapes in a soft vine charcoal , medium. These would be the base of the trees, and the groups of dark leaves at the top.
After that, I started with some of my lighter colors on the trunks, and the sky shapes which surround the trunks. Notice that these shapes are lighter than the trunks.

Next step was to block in my medium colors, constantly thinking of big shapes at this point. I am using the side of the pastel, in nice, big strokes. At this stage the entire surface is covered with pastel.

At this point, I am refining my shapes , and adding more of the cast shadows on the trunks, as well as some of the leaf scars...which are so typical of birches and aspen. I'm also thinking about hard/soft edges, and color temperature shifts.You'll notice that there are warm yellows in the grasses, and a rich bronze color in the upper leaves where they are struck by the light.

Here is the finished painting again, so that you may see the progression. More , smaller detail added, some cooler leaf shapes to set off the warm colors, and more distinct cast shadows are added. Last, but certainly not least, and very important is really warming up the colors of the lights, and cooling the shadowed areas in the tree trunks.

I do love to paint aspen...and my efforts sometimes do pay off.

This painting is now in the Pastel Society of the West Coast show, and won the " Aaron Schuerr " award!  I am thrilled and honored!

Thank you for reading, and don't forget that you can have these posts delivered right to your inbox, if you sign up with your e-mail right on this page. Much appreciated!

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