Almost an Island, oil on canvas, 28″ x 38″
There is a spot down Dauphin Island Parkway, just before the Dog River bridge that I’ve wanted to make a painting about for some time now. It’s a modest bit of land, no spectacular trees or flowers. I populated this not-quite-island with a scattering of Ibises. I’ve been looking at 17th century Dutch landscape painters a lot lately, studying the glow to their skies and the technique of painting trees, particularly leaves. The brushwork of the leaves is quite individual in style–some clumps look like a toddler’s gloved fingers and some leave me astounded at the sheer numbers and the attention to detail–how each leaf is turned and placed. Painting in a cold climate with short days (as well as slower drying time for the paint) and no electricity to lengthen the studio hours, I am always stunned by how prolific some of these painters were. Part of it comes down to adopting a system for constructing a painting, one of the benefits of an apprentice system. The rest is discipline and hard work–and the encouragement of a good market for paintings, true of the Netherlands at that time.
Update on the Summer Group Show at Buchanan Gallery in Galveston: sad news all around after Hurricane Ike. Many feet of water flooded the gallery and the artwork, my own as well, was not moved to higher ground. At the moment I’m waiting for the mail to bring back what remains of my poor babies. After Katrina, I saw miracles because of quick intervention by Richard White (the New Orleans conservator and my former husband.) I am hoping for the best, though the paintings will never be in exactly the same condition as before.
