TM8445 Arboreal Reflections 36×40 oil on panel

Once in a while, something remarkable happens in the studio. This week began like any other – a few paintings in various stages of completion, a few sketches or ideas waiting to be translated onto a panel. But instead of  putting the ideas on the panel and letting them slowly evolve into an image, then a painting, it’s as if the muse strode into the room, took the brush from me, and went wild. I watched what was happening, and knew I was painting, but with the feeling that my brain was using new pathways to communicate with my hand. Everything I’d learned in printmaking, watercolor, and oil seemed to come together in a new way. The Source was one result of the new way of working, and Arboreal Reflections is the other. Both started in the same way (rolled paint, monotype techniques) and were heavily influenced by watercolor techniques of glazing for their development. In both paintings, I was finally able to keep the whole picture in mind while developing only the necessary details. Restraint – the key to both paintings. Letting interesting paint carry more of the weight. It was an unbelievably exciting week. Details from Arboreal Reflections  are below, but I’d like to mention the title again. Arboreal Reflections refers not just to the woods reflected in the pond (the apparent subject), but also the way I thought about the woods this time. I saw the pieces and the whole, and let them be somewhat independent – enough detail to suggest what’s there, but enough mystery to keep the viewer guessing. And the reflections of the trees – this time I played more with the accidents from the brayer, enhanced the accidents and let them fill in for the reflections. Convincing enough, but providing a surprise on closer inspection. Enjoy!

TM8445 Arboreal Reflections – detail from top center showing abstracted reflections and intricate patterns achieved with the brayer

TM8445 Arboreal Reflections – detail from upper right

TM8445 Arboreal Reflections – detail from left side showing textures created with brayer, direct painting, assorted spatter techniques, and use of transparent glazes

TM8445 Arboreal Reflections – detail from upper right showing scraping, multi-directional brayer roll-up

TM8445 Arboreal Reflections – detail from middle lower edge showing use of spatter, direct and indirect blotting, sky reflection