There are times when a piece of art seems to paint itself without much effort on the part of the artist. Sadly, this is a very rare occurrence in my life. In fact, it hardly ever happens, but like the crack of a great golf swing or a perfectly risen soufflé, the rarity of the occasion and the rush of satisfaction I can feel keep me coming back for the promise of more.
This painting did not paint itself. In fact, there may be five layers of other iterations underneath this one, and I finally decided to call it a day. I'm not striving for perfection after all, just a comment on something that happened that day with the light or my mood, or perhaps just the glimmer of hope that Spring will come someday soon.
CW Mundy is one of my favorite teachers in the world. I've learned from him that a painting can be lost and then found many times in the painting process. The painting below is a landscape that he labored over time and again, yet the final piece is near perfection, with no sign of struggle. After spending time with CW, I've learned to keep returning to the canvas until the painting says something worthwhile.
CW Mundy
Creek Bed at Story, Indiana
20x16
oil on linen
A lovely, shimmery painting, Ann. Your shadows are so wonderful and balance of the direction of the light.
ReplyDeleteI think you showed his technique on your video but was not sure which one until you mention lost and found in this post.
I clipped a magazine article about his work because I liked it so much. Nice to see this one here. Thanks for sharing.