Vienna Nocturne

I'm reading "Vienna Nocturne" by Vivien Shotwell and wanted to share this passage with you (it's part of letter that a young artist is writing to his sister, in the late 1700's):

"There's a robin in the birdbath. For ten minutes together it has been standing ankle deep in the water and making no motion. Does it care about ambition? Does it wish to be more beautiful than it is? No,  it is beautiful as it is, because it is. I will fix it in my mind and paint it in the afternoon".

I love it .......perhaps it strikes a chord for you as well.

Art & Music in the

I recently read about a Hunger Prevention program in mid-coast Maine called "Backpack," that sends food home with children after school so that they do not go hungry during their time at home. Putting the food in a backpack saves a child from experiencing the humiliation of other students knowing they are receiving assistance. 

 

It really hit home for me; just the thought of a child going home to a place with nothing for dinner and breakfast is heart-breaking. Like most of us, I can't write a big check, but I have learned that I can use my work to help with things that are important to me.  And so with your help, I would love to be able to support this effort through donating a portion of the sales of my paintings.  

And so for this event only:  

25 original paintings regularly valued at $500 - $750.00 each will be priced at $350.00 in an effort to raise

money for this effort that is serving hundreds of Maine's school children. I will donate 15% of each sale to the Backpack program.

You may view these paintings on my website: http://www.evelyndunphy.com.

Just click on "Preview Paintings for Backpack Program" on the left hand side bar of the home page.

You may purchase a painting in advance of the August 9th event and pick it at my studio anytime, or we can arrange to ship it to you.

Signed, limited edition Giclee Print

How to Join Planes Together to Unify Your Painting

 

 Plein Air Painting Done at the Workshops at Frederic Church's camp on Millinocket Lake in Maine
Join me August 14 - 17 or September 18 - 21 for an unforgettable experience in an historic setting.

I found that painting scenes such as this were a real challenge as it was all too easy to have the different planes of the painting look as if they were separated by hard lines. After studying Cezanne's paintings of Mt. Victoire over a period of time, I suddenly had an insight that was a life-saver! I realized that by carrying some of the color of the sky into the mountain, then two or three colors of the mountain into the next area of the tree line and so on throughout the far islands that I was able to create a sense of unity throughout the painting. See if you can tell where the blues and greens are carried from one shape to another. 

Of course it's also necessary to create soft and merged edges throughout the painting as well. 

I believe that studying the best painters is a wonderful learning process - look at great books on art, turn it upside down so that you are not intent on the subject and look for interesting compositions and color combinations.

Happy Painting!