Framed oil painting

14 x 18 (image size) oil on linen

Beyond the Clouds ~ A Distant Horizon Calls!

There is a mystical quality I find in Lowcountry marshes. The curves of the winding, maze-like waterways combine with disappearing horizon lines and big skies that create a sense of wonderment for me. What lies beyond? What will tomorrow bring? Only the heavens know the answer. But, we can hope for a bright tomorrow, a sunny day, and peace of mind.

My painting Beyond the Clouds has that distant horizon line and a look beyond the clouds to a seemingly endless pink sky. It was a blue-sky day, but as the sun sets to the west, the warmth of the late afternoon sunlight warms up the grasses and reflects off the still waters.

To give the effect of fleeting moments in time, where cloud formations and colors change within seconds, I used a palette knife painting quickly and boldly. The colors are bright and clean. By applying paint with a palette knife, I find I can paint broadly without thinning out the paint and losing its brilliance.

Too much brushwork and reworking of areas can muddy up colors. My goal here was to keep the brilliance of the colors and to create texture without being sloppy. This required going back over certain areas with a clean palette knife and refining the surface of the paint.

I also decided to use a few colors I usually wouldn’t think of using. I have drawers full of colors that have been longing to be included on my palette. This is one easy way to feel more creative in the painting process.

Lastly, I wanted detail to be my last concern. This painting is about expression for me and lasting impressions for the viewer.

I stood for quite awhile at this location, until the sun lowered behind the incoming clouds. I was grateful to be where I was at the most colorful time of the day. It lifted me up even though I was not down.