 |
| "Tree Silhouettes, Hazy Morning" Oil on Canvas, 7 x 14 (c) Lesley Powell 2017 |
Simplification is a major factor in my approach to painting. I am always trying to eliminate unnecessary details in order to get to the essence of my subject. I often think about what one critic wrote about the great artist Eugene Delacroix: that Delacriox had a precious gift in his "capacity to sacrifice details in order to attain a more durable reality."
I completely agree that simplicity gets at the heart of the subject. It produces a form of reality that detail cannot rival. There is a power and a beauty in simple shapes that can take your breath away.
During my recent painting trip to Provence, I spent a great deal of time working on simplification of the landscape. The number of fence posts, or trees, or rows of lavender is not what matters. Rather, my goal is to capture the scene in a handful of major shapes, and
to portray the right color relationships among them. But make no mistake--Simple isn't Easy. In fact, quite the opposite. Simplification requires astute observation and critical thinking, as well as very exacting color mixing. These are things that I am still working on--and will be for the rest of my life!
The paintings in this post were all painted on location in Provence last month. There is no substitute for direct observation, and I took full advantage of my travel to paint "sur la motif", as they say in France. A couple of these got some touch-ups after I got back home to my studio. But by and large, they were all completed in the field. Working under the time pressure of standing in the field and racing against the changing light and weather conditions helps me simplify. With limited time, I find that I must "grab for the gusto" and GO.
More posts to come with additional paintings and thoughts from my trip...
 |
| "Lavender and Clouds" Oil on Canvas, 10 x 10 (c) Lesley Powell 2017 |
During my recent painting trip to Provence, I spent a great deal of time working on simplification of the landscape. The number of fence posts, or trees, or rows of lavender is not what matters. Rather, my goal is to capture the scene in a handful of major shapes, and
to portray the right color relationships among them. But make no mistake--Simple isn't Easy. In fact, quite the opposite. Simplification requires astute observation and critical thinking, as well as very exacting color mixing. These are things that I am still working on--and will be for the rest of my life!
 |
| "Glimpse of Villars" Oil on Linen, 7 x 14 (c) Lesley Powell 2017 |
 |
| "Field Contours" Oil on Linen, 7 x 14 (c) Lesley Powell 2017 |
No comments:
Post a Comment