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| "Fertile Ground", acrylic on 16" x 8" canvas |
A couple was lying in the grass. Their world was one another.
The happenings of a festival surrounded them - people walked back and forth, a band played on the stage.
The activity meant nothing to them, or everything. It framed their moment, and this moment was all there was.
"So I'll be king and you'll be queen
Our kingdom's gonna be this little patch of green.."
James Taylor understands moments like this:
This is only the second "serious" painting I have done in acrylics since I first picked them up after dabbling with them many years ago.
Here is what I love about acrylics: the opportunity to use impasto, to leave brush strokes in the painting; to feel like I am molding form, and to control the vividness and vitality of my color without effort.
To paint the figures, I purposely followed the procedure of laying in the darks first, then the lights, and finally the middle tones. At first this system felt mechanical - awkward - but once I got to the middle tones, and then began editing back and forth, I felt free and creative.
I am working on my next acrylic painting, which would be done except for an error I need to correct (which could take as long as the rest of the painting took - who knows?) I painted this next one in a completely different way. I am also painting in watercolors, and drawing in ink, and doing ink and watercolors. I am always sketching people around me.
The ground feels fertile, and the grass is indeed green. Each moment painting is a magical moment.
And I am grateful for these moments.
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Ah young love, you captured them very well indeed.... our poor grass around here is brown from the heat and no rain, this grass is luscious and green. I have a box of acrylics, but I have never used them except to letter a sign... I'm afraid I'd love them, and I want to learn watercolors... if I detour off the path I'm on I'm afraid I won't come back... you are young and have plenty of time to explore ... you've made a good start.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful, Dan. Nice green grass as ours is pretty brown, too.
ReplyDeletexoxo
That's wonderful. The hats on their faces is great. And you handled all of that green perfectly.
ReplyDeletewow...great job and in acrylic! excellent....! You should be very pleased with your result! I hope you do more figures like this...you are good at it!
ReplyDeleteI remember that day. But it was before flip flops. I'm really enjoying the playful figures. But the gradation in the grass is very nice. Best.
ReplyDeleteLove the title! It's a lovely painting too.
ReplyDeleteI particularly love the way you express both the awkwardness you felt in keeping to a particular technique, and then the freedom you discovered the other side, having kept going. It's joyful to read about the painting you are doing at the moment. And this one I love both for its colours and for the tones.
ReplyDeleteA moment in time captured very well... I like how the hats on their faces makes them oblivious to their surroundings, the only communication between them is the girl's hand on the boy. Love this painting!
ReplyDeleteWell done, :) is a lovely painting! Cheers!
ReplyDeleteLove the green and I like you work in acrylic... Thats so sweet, reminds me of the island we found last year during our canoe trip, and there was a small medow on this little island and it had tall grass and it was pure heaven to just lay there and feel the peace of nature all around us. Nice painting Dan, very peaceful : ) The song is very fitting for it.
ReplyDeleteCathy said exactly the things I was thinking. It's a very expressive painting and captures the feeling perfectly! nancy
ReplyDeleteBeautiful painting, Dan.
ReplyDeleteI hope I'm not too late. I came by to comment the other day, and in the middle of writing it,your painting sent me looking for other acrylic painters to see how they handled the medium. They are a rare breed in these waters--or at least the pond I've been swimming in. I didn't have much luck. This is different for you and you did a fine job with the anatomy as well as the paint. I'm particularly impressed with the background green. It varies in shading as grass would. Beautiful painting Dan.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this little treat...made my Friday morning, looking at your painting while listening to James Taylor. :)
ReplyDeleteDan- I think you've done a fantastic job with the skin texture! A great scene with lovely sentiment. Keep it up! I look forward to seeing many more.
ReplyDeleteWooh...Dan, this is such a great painting on a few levels. You handle the acrylics incredibly well. Everything is so well done.
ReplyDeleteStew.
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