Slant of Sunlight

As an artist, I sometimes hit upon an idea that catches in the brain. It turns into something of a compulsion: to capture that idea, to expand upon it, and to alter it [finding the edges, the breaking points]. A series of paintings along a central theme. Sometimes obvious, sometimes hard to put into words. This happened a couple years ago when I explored my civilization series - primitive landscapes painted in primary colors with brush and pallete knife. I stayed with that theme for about a year before moving on to other ideas.

I had one such idea catch hold yesterday, completing painting after painting, as if possessed of some artistic apparition. Hardly a theme as these seven paintings basically depicted the same scene with the same basic design elements - an unmowed corner of the field behind my house - but all created from that same compulsion in my artist-brain. I did not stop to judge the paintings too harshly - sure, as an artist this is all I do, judging the various aspects of design, judging the likeness of the painting, judging whether the painting is working or not - but I simply [ultimately] judged whether I liked them or not . . . a simple litmus test . . . yes/no, true/false, good/bad. Passing that test, I moved on to the next painting. And so on.

I am a fairly quick painter on the whole - I don't bother with the details if none are called for [I've perhaps left a few paintings a little short of their potential as a result, in fact] - but seven paintings in one day?! Well, they are simple paintings, and they are basically the same painting - flowers at the edge of a field set against the dark beginnings of a tree line, painted with a certain level of whimsy in their positioning and their bright colors - really, the same painting. This makes it impossible to give them unique names, so I present "Slant of Sunlight" numbers 1 through 5 [the other two are similar, of course] . . .

Slant of Sunlight #1, 24x36", framed - $500 (click for larger version)

Slant of Sunlight #2, 18x24", framed - $350

below:

...#2 & #3 - 11x14", framed - $200

...#4, 9.5x14.5", framed - $200