Monday, June 6, 2011

Shadows, take 2 (and some more good news!)

I have spent the past 24 hours obsessing over my newest painting, "Shadows in the Grove", trying to figure out what bothered me and after spending all day, quietly and privately over analyzing what the painting needed, I came home and went right to work. I am much happier with this now, can you tell what I changed?

The primary attraction in the composition when I decided to paint this was the shadow in the foreground, more than anything else.

"Shadows", 16" x 20", encaustic



My other bit of news is that I received another phone call earlier today from the Marblehead Festival of Arts and found out I also won the Edward D. Carey award, for my watercolor painting. In the over 20 years that I have been visiting and participating in this summer art festival, there has never been an award that I have respected and admired more than this. I am so thrilled and encouraged, and I had to share the news.

To read about the summer art festival and the award I am receiving, you can visit the festival website:

http://www.marbleheadfestival.org/exhibits/painting/painting.html

The painting that received the Edward Carey award, "Howling at the Moon"


Cheers, Everyone!

10 comments:

  1. WOW --- Huge congratulations Robin! You deserve it...you are a wonderful and unique artist. I am so happy for you.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Now you can be happy for two reasons--Shadows lives up to its name, and your name is becoming known. Congratulations again.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks, Terry. I hope you get a chance to attend the festival over the 4th, maybe I will see you there?

    Hallie, now maybe I can also be happy because I will be able to stop obsessing over the painting, done! Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yay, Robin!!! Congrats on another award. You're on a well-deserved roll, sister!

    Great work with Shadows. I'm glad you pushed it. The shadows guide my eyes into the piece quite nicely. Kudos for taking that scary step of going back into a work you had called complete. I know how nerve-wracking that can be.

    -Don

    ReplyDelete
  5. Congrats Robin! So well deserved!

    I can't really tell what you did differently as the whole painting is popping a bit more on my screen. Might I ask a question? I don't mean to be critical at all as I am not a good painter...and I am wondering about the direction of the light that cast the shadows. In the background trees the shadows go to the left of the trees. In the foreground, the shadows seem to be coming from the right side of the trees. Is this how they were? I am wondering at angles and vectors of the sun and what time of day that this might happen (which is why I'm not offering criticism but true curiosity). How intriguing to think upon! I am wondering about latitudes and longitudes as well! I love when something gets my mind moving out of a sluggish state! Please don't think me rude. I really do think like this.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Ha on second thought! After looking again, I see that the foreground shadows are coming from trees not seen in the painting! Eureka!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Don, your comment from the day before was the confirmation I needed to make the shadows more pronounced. I appreciate so much when we can learn from each other.

    Sherry, sounds like the composition is working for you now. There were trees NOT included in the photograph, close in the foreground, and thats why I was so intrigued by the shadow's linear angles and how they led my eye into the landscape. Just to remind you, you are a good painter, and you know what works for you, and what doesn't, and please try not to doubt yourself!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Both paintings are so beautiful, and congratulations on winning that award! What an honor. :) I LOVE how fluid Howling at the Moon is, and the colors are spectacular. A very well deserved honor. Great blog, glad I stopped by. :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hi Crystal, thank for the wonderful comments! glad you stopped by too.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Great news. I am so happy for you. It's great to be on a winning streak and you deserve it!

    ReplyDelete