I admit it. I’m always ridiculously behind on my reading. So I just got around to the December 07 issue of Southwest Art, and a quote in the Woody Gwyn profile struck a chord:
“Subject matter is just an excuse to express a quality of light and space.”
What a neat summation of what moves me! I paint animals because they’re far and away more interesting to me than landscape or still life or whatever - such beauty and perfection in their forms - but without a sense of light I’m a lot less excited about the image. I’ve tried painting animals in flat-light situations, and it just ain’t as ‘on’.
Perhaps this is why some traditional animal art feels dull to me - many are without a strong sense of light. And my rodeo pieces depend on hot light for sizzling shadow colors - mmm mmm! Someday I’ll figure out how to paint overcast-light situations in a way that feels good . . . still working on that one.
Painting: “Git ‘r Done”, 13×18 oil on handmade canvas panel
Pitzer’s Fine Art (Wimberley, TX) - 888.564.6146
At my recent Artist Residency at the National Museum of Wildlife Art, a fellow stopped to tell me he used to be a bullrider, and he joked about the small hat sizes they wear.
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March 5th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
Yes that light is exciting; much more so than if it was overcast. The warm rosy light, esp. during winter months, is such a treat. Saving it or portraying it in a painting is a good shot of serotonin for the brain! Blessings.
June 15th, 2008 at 9:50 pm
This weekend we had an old cowboy stand in for figure painting at the Norman, Ok, painting place, Firebouse coverted to art center. He got there late from several storms that plucks out electricty and deploys softball sized hail.
No lights for painting other than north light. I am not much into people painting but I was talked into it and because I suck at it I decided what the heck? Turns out that old cowpoke still has an eye for the gals and at rest time came to ask all sorts of questions a painter from New Orleans. It was like a soap opera. Then the lights came on and everyone voted to keep just the north light. Me? Heck, it was overcast. My Daddy taughte that the famous north light or not…. If there isn’t shadow and light there is no drama. Am I wrong?
If there are serious mistakes in spelling here it is. Because I can only review part of the message as I type. I am on an awesome Iphone because I am I’m in the deep lake woods an there is no good internet connection yet but I am trying