Willow Wind

TM8995 Willow Wind 36×48 oil on panel

Who isn’t hypnotized by the movement of reflections in a still pond? Willow Wind is a meditation on those movements, an opportunity to surrender to the moment, to float with slender willow leaves on s soft breeze, to be somewhere else. Sometimes that is more than enough. Details below. Enjoy!

TM8995 WIllow Wind – detail from above center with willow reflections and floating duckweed

TM8995 Willow Wind – detail from upper right

Technical painting notes: Willow Wind evolved slowly, beginning as a much more realistic reflection of leaves in the pond. But I was never satisfied with it – it felt too static. When I thought about the initial experience at the pond, I realized that the movement of the leaves was what attracted me most – the sense that I was watching a dance. With that in mind, I took the plunge, mixed some color with Liquin Impasto medium, then started rolling color onto the surface, softening edges. As the edges softened, the painting started to come to life. The movement implied by the softer edges felt more like what I had seen, and it matched the soft quality of the air that day in early summer. The buttery yellows felt more like the warm sunlight. It took quite a few sessions of rolling, letting it all dry, emphasizing some shapes with brushwork, strengthening colors, then re-rolling with the semi-transparent paint to get the final result.

TM8967 Willow Wind 36×48 oil on panel

I’ve always been entranced by the gracefulness of willows. The narrow leaves seem to be in constant motion, and the luminous color glows toward everything in the vicinity. Willow Wind is a meditation on those qualities, and a chance to further explore the use of a soft rubber roller to layer and build an image. The painting began with a roll-up of dark paint. While the paint was wet, I used a silicone scraper to draw the leaves, then spritzed the surface with solvent to add a touch of texture. With the base layer dry, I started to define the leaves further using a soft brush and oil color. This was followed by subsequent layers of spatter to soften the image and lend a sense of movement. Transparent oils (mixed with Liquin Impasto medium) were rolled onto the surface to soften the image. I used the roller to suggest more leaf shapes, then enhanced the effect with brush painting. Each time I defined a leaf I subsequently rolled over it, repositioning the wet paint. I found that mixing Liquin Impasto into the paint lent a feeling of encaustic painting to the repeatedly rolled surface. I wanted the spirit and mood of the willows, and the softness of spring’s air. The roller was a wonderful tool for that purpose. Details below. Enjoy.

TM8967 Willow Wind – detail from upper right

TM8967 Willow Wind – detail from center

TM8967 Willow Wind – detail from lower right

Teri Malo Studio

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Willow Wind