Autumn Mood

Oil on canvas, 48 x 60 inches

$10,500 framed Exhibiting: Saks Galleries, Denver, CO

About this oil:

This began as a simple idea, a line of colorful trees on a large canvas. Then the colors started talking to each other and before long, they were shouting for attention. With so much canvas to work with, the whole scene became a playground, and that simple beginning grew richer and more complex.

Subtle patterns began to show up in the background, and since they seemed to welcome all kinds of color, I gave them more. As those background trees developed, I realized the painting would be more powerful if the brightest colors stayed in the back, contrasted against a group of darker, more mysterious trees up front.

The lime green meadow sweeping across the foreground leads your eye into the detail and warmth at the center of the canvas. As a finish, I couldn’t resist adding more complexity and unusual color combinations in the sky.

The result is a wide range of color in motion, but moving in an unexpected way, with strong patterns, quiet subtleties, and that jazzy sky. If I had to describe how it all works together, I’d borrow a word from the musical arts: syncopated.

One last note. This painting was thirsty for color, layer after layer of it, and it was a real pleasure to pour it on.