Approaching Surreal

The Terns

In the most recent series, the paintings have varied from realism/impressionism to the edge of surrealism. Maybe not surreal in the traditional sense but maybe a precursor to images to come where realism takes less importance than the atmosphere or the texture. I have started images dealing with perspectives-the viewer is forced to see a moon scene looking up a tree instead of a realistic night sky. I want the viewer to feel a bit on the edge of reality and the thought of place and circumstance. 

In the terns, I wanted the viewer to get the idea of place by the terns and see the ocean breakers in a different way. Another image that is included in this grouping is a pastel which I haven't recently included in the recent series-an evening in a park with the hyper lighting of lamp posts. Again the idea is more the feeling and texture of the scene, I want the viewer to find themselves in a place they have seen before but to see it in a different way.

Back to the idea of surreal, I have always wanted to paint what was somewhat haunted, a pastoral scene that didn't seem all that comfortable but the viewer has a problem putting their finger on why.

I see figures in the future images that might not have their place or perhaps give the viewer pause to explain why the figure exists in the scene whether it be a ghost or just an image that doesn't fit in the scene. 

The Lamp Posts

I am excited about new paintings because I have never felt so clear on the final mechanics than I have in recent paintings. The painting called Moon flower shows the moon from the bottom of a tree looking up-the detail in the flowers were very clear, what was left with less detail made itself clear immediately. Another good aspect of the final product being so clear is the fact that the recent paintings have taken a month as opposed to years as previously.

My question to artists, photographers and just creatives in general-when did you finally feel like you had discovered your style, where mechanics of your images become clear and concise?

Moon flower

The Art of the Night Sky

The art of the night sky

For years I’ve been painting subject matter that inspire me, most often glorifying the natural world. In the last four or five years I have come to specialize in two particular subject matters, water as a regular staple-its’ clarity and reflective quality and more recently the silence and mystery of the night sky.

I think both venues are mysterious in their own way and I think that is the aspect of nature that inspires me. I aim to capture the quiet, peaceful moments that are haunted by some intangible presence, those less than comfortable shadows where we are intrigued as much as we are unnerved. I aim at capturing the silence that speaks louder than words and the awe of a sunset where we watch in a silent pause.

 

The night sky is both complex as it is deep and mysterious. There is a temptation to go too dark or too bright-I have strayed between the two junctions in painting this subject matter. The night sky has just as much, if not more than the landscape in daylight. I started with exaggerating the light and darkness and have recently found my happy medium.

I’ve noticed from a recent camping trip that the depth of the sky is  composed of barely discernable blue stars, a mid range of mildly bright stars and then the foreground stars that set off the entire sky with light. I have noticed how the eye moves through the scene and the stars twinkle as stars become visible and other stars fade into the darkness. The next step is how the light reflects on the landscape and the water. I want the viewer to watch the sky and get lost in the silence of stars-the title of my latest painting.

I intend of mixing the two venues in the near future by adding water to the darkness-some new paintings on the sketch pad is the ocean peir at night, the ocean surf at night and a fountain that is lit up by the light of natural and manmade processes. I will continue to bend the movement of water and the light and dark, creating a statement about nature, it's mystery and the secrets of the evening sky.

To artists and collectors-how have you found your subject matter and how did it develop over the years? For the collector-what paintings or pictures capture your interest and why do you think it captures you interest?

Art by Gordon: This is one of those images that got lost for a ...

Art by Gordon:

This is one of those images that got lost for a ...: This is one of those images that got lost for a long time, kind of faded and darkened and than was given new life. I realize now what mo...

This is one of those images that got lost for a long time, kind of faded and darkened and than was given new life. I realize now what most effects me about the night sky, it is the silence of stars, the indifference of the universe to our tiny insignificant figures. On a camping trip with my son I recently captured the night sky just before we turned into to our tents and the silence and the majesty of light in the pitch blackness capture both of our attention. We both ended up laying down in a river bed and watching the stars, I think I will never look at the stars the same again.

After that experience of listening to the intense silence of the sky and the realization of both our place in the universe and the fact that the sky at night is a multi-dimensional landscape I have not only wanted to learn more about the stars, I've also improved the insight I have on painting them. I start with the background the stars, the stars you barely see and move from those to the more obvious stars in the foreground-this gives the sky a depth just like a landscape. I intend on getting the stars to twinkle off of themselves-as the eyes goes through the image, stars appear and others disappear as the eye focuses on the dimensions of the stars.

The second image is a study of the lights on the water-it is more of the reflections rather than the stars. I got this idea years ago and it has only now come to completion. The inspiration usually takes longer than the actual painting it seems.

I intend on doing a very large scene of the night sky-one that maybe covers a wall-nothing like painting on a great wall-it's very empowering and not at all intimidating-okay depends on my mood in any given day.