Forest Clearing

This piece has heavy texture in places. This texture comes from building up heavy layers of paint, which provides a rich history for the piece, not all of which is always visible. The piece is finished with a coat of Liquitex satin varnish and a cold wax rub, both of which help protect the painting over time. The painting has a satin finish. This piece was painted on canvas panel, which is canvas wrapped around cardboard. This panel does not have a frame or hanging hardware, but it can be leaned on a shelf or mantel, and it can be framed in a frame. A certificate of authenticity is adhered to the back of the piece using an archival quality adhesive.

I painted this piece right after attending classes on color harmony. By the end of that instruction I was super energized and got busy in the studio. I knew I wanted to do a nature scene and that I wanted to use a natural color palette. So I got to work and applied what I had learned in each of these classes. The result was more sophisticated than what I’ve been doing up to that point. The colors fit together more organically, like puzzle pieces. This is because I applied what I learned about limited color palettes and color harmony. All of the colors are related, if only just a little. I think the result is gorgeous. I also really like the dark/light contrast here. You get a sense of the closeness of the surrounding woods and the sense of openness and light on the path up ahead. I used a thin watery layer of transparent mixing white to add the light beams.