Thoughts to share, ideas to ponder

Beauty, Real and Imagined

"Beauty, Real and Imagined"

I never begin to paint until I gasp in surprise.  And more often than not, I will start with one idea, and as light works it's magic will end up with something different than I set out to do.   As I played with the vase, clear bottle and mirror, all of a sudden, the reflections and the little abstract design in the upper right corner made my heart skip a beat.  The beauty of the design was so compelling, I could not get myself set up quickly enough to begin painting.  The petals were dropping gracefully and I had to use memory to fill in where the scene had changed.  I added the gold ribbon and the leaning book later in the composition and also modified the cropping of the piece twice until it felt just right. 

Reflections, continued (added June 7)

Quang Ho taught me about the difference between light and shadow painting and local tone painting and really understanding the distinction. I like both and had always thought it was all light and shadow painting with the distinction being the degree of light and shadow. Not necessarily so. It has challenged me further to play with different light and to understand how the "air space" amidst elements in a painting and transitions between light and shadow are a tangible thing! (I love Quang Ho's artistic/philosophical approach)! Now, let's add a mirror for a reflection and really add to the challenge.