There is something about the late dawn of winter sun, a bruised heaviness that seeps across the sky. I started this painting thinking it might be abstract and lighter, maybe even cheerful, but my subconscious seems to know where to take the brush. Though the quick marks of paint give impressions rather than detail… it is clearly not an abstract painting. And though colourful, I am not sure it is cheerful. In fact, I’m sure this painting is deeply melancholy with bittersweet recognition that the sun is rising… lifting, lifting, lifting us into another, and possibly, better day.
I started by brushing water (it would have been spirits but I’m using water miscible oils) and linseed oil onto the canvas. Then I began adding colour, an underpainting of sorts…
I never let it completely dry but kept working the paint into the canvas as I added more colour.
Using a good sized brush (10) I swished the sky and clouds on and softened them with a cloth and feathery brush. Then I flipped the rocks and sea loosely into place and left them like that.
I came back yesterday and tidied up a bit … as I listened to kd lang’s performance of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” at the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame induction of Leonard Cohen in 2006.
You might want to do that too as you take in “Winter Sun”
18X24″ by 1 3/4″ water miscible oil painting on 100% natural cotton canvas
There are a few more small edits which I will make and then replace this last image, but it is close enough to complete to share with you.
Sprout Question: What has been your latest personal discovery through your creativity?
© 2010 Terrill Welch, All rights reserved.
Liberal usage granted with written permission. See “About” for details.
Purchase photography at http://www.redbubble.com/people/terrillwelch
Creative Potager – where imagination rules. Be inspired.
From Mayne Island, British Columbia, Canada
Creative Potager 
My latest personal discovery through painting has been the unfolding of new structures upon old structures…a continuous weaving together and integration of previous thoughts, ideas and sensations into newly formed and evolving ones:
http://hollyfriesen.posterous.com/deepening-and-darkening
Lovely painting, Terri and I adore KD Lang’s version of Hallelujah…beautiful!
Thank you Holly for your sprout response and also for the excellent post about your painting process and discovery…
“I consider every moment of the day to be part of the painting process. Walking and breathing w/ the trees in the park, inhaling the fragrance of the earth, noticing the trembling of the tender new baby green all stirs me deeply.”
Readers I encourage you to wander over to Holly’s post “Deepening and Darkening”
So glad you stopped by Holly and that you enjoyed both the painting and kd lang:)
If you watch all the way to the end kd greets Lenard Cohen who is in the audience. It is one of the reasons I chose this particular version of her singing this song.
Terrill – The words you used, “a bruised heaviness that seeps across the sky” are a delicious description of “Winter Sun.”
Sprout Question: What has been your latest personal discovery through your creativity?
When I’m answering a creative call — giving birth to something that’s within — there is no such thing as a mistake.
Thank you Laurie… and what a lovely reminder in your sprout response. By the way, I was particularly taken with one of your resent posts “Life – A Steep Price” it seems like it may be a nice addition to our conversation today.
What a transformation from one canvas to another….Beautiful how the progression is from one to another…..
Kim
Thanks Kim! This time I actually remembered to take photos as I was working over the first few hours of painting – otherwise there wouldn’t have been much to show. Good of you to drop in:)
Terrill – Thank you for pointing to Speaking from the Heart. Thank you, too, for the link to Holly’s post — Deepening and Darkening — that was a very nice visit!
You are welcome Laurie and I’m glad you checked out Holly’s post as well.
Terrill, I am thinking how important this picture is. Even with its bruised melancholy. How it was a voice which needed to come up into the world; how it needed expression. I honor its melancholy beauty.
My latest personal discovery: that everything we’ve buried must come to the surface to be resolved in the light of awareness.
Thank you Kathy and your sprout response is very much in line with this piece of work… the things we bury which “must come to the surface to be resolved in the light of awareness.” I have drawn and painted out many of my experiences and related emotions when I haven’t been able to speak or write about them. Some how my ability to access these parts of myself is greats through the brush. So glad you dropped in.
Your sky is absolutely beautiful.
My latest personal discovery in creativity…um…trust in my ability to transform the blank page into story. I find, to my delight, that if I trust I can enjoy what I discover.
Thank you Leanne – great sprout response… I really like “trust in my ability to transform the blank page into story.”
Psst! I was just over to your new blog Leanne – you wise woman you and I was checking out your Saskatchewan bunny hug on OKnitting patterns for her . Very cool. As Always, good to have you join the Creative Potager conversation:)
Wow the colors look fantastic! I think I like the one with the more colors better even if it is less detailed seeing as I have never seen one quite just like it.
Thanks Michelle, welcome to Creative Potager.
Learning a lot about how you construct your paintings. Never knew they were done in layers like this. You can tell I was never very good at traditional art.
My latest discovery…that photographs can also be constructed by layers (and I am not talking about Photoshop here). By really seeing and taking more time to get to know a subject, I am getting more creative in how I am approaching my photography. In part, by seeing how you and others work to create their art.
Thank you Scott and I would love to learn how to do the layering with my photographs as well.. I do believe there is going to be a huge ability to ‘digitally paint’ as one option for creativity in the near future. I know it is done now but it doesn’t quite have the ability to get the energetic brush strokes that are intuitively express between artist brush and canvas yet… but I think it will happen. So glad to see you here:)
You should check out my blogmates the Preston’s and their Abstract art blog. They do things to their photos which look very art-like to my untrained eye. Here’s the link: http://www.surfaceandsurfacephotography.com/digitalartblog/
Some pretty cool stuff for sure Scott – thanks for dropping the link by.