I remember being asked one time to paint a scary monster. It was a class exercise to get us out of the habit of creating beautiful paintings. I had a horrible time. I painted a dragon-type monster. The instructor laughed a deep belly laughed and told me it was a great monster but would not likely scare anyone. I think my painting “HEAVY CLOUD” has also suffered from my optimistic nature. It is obviously heavy cloud but not very dreary.
Let’s have a look…
Starting with the underpainting you saw on Monday I began building up the painting.
It isn’t really making a lot of sense yet but feels good so I keep going.
Then I painted for a long while. I left it to rest overnight and I did a few minor edits. I believe it is done. But I reserve the right to change my mind.
HEAVY CLOUD 10X12 by 1.5 inches, cotton canvas original oil painting by Terrill Welch
This painting will be shown as part of solo summer exhibition opening at the end of June. If you are interested in purchasing in advance of the show please contact me directly via email at tawelch AT shaw DOT ca . The price of this work is $420 Canadian unframed.
I most often see a little light coming in from somewhere no matter how gray it gets. There is just a touch of sun catching the sky above the mountains and it is coming to rest on the tips of just a few of the great coastal peaks so we are sure not to miss it. It seems to be saying – tomorrow is another day.
Have a great weekend!
Sprout question: What creatively allows you to express dreariness, gloominess or your darker side?
© 2011 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
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Creative Potager 
Terrill,
Once again being in view of your process and thoughts always makes the painting that much more rich and alive.
Heavy Clouds do not have to mean darkness and gloom, they can mean a change in the weather, light shining through! Beautiful creation!
Writing my blog allows me to express my dreariness, gloominess, and darker side! Only it allows me to know where the light is coming from!
I am Love, Jeff
That is so true Jeff and it is was what attracted me to these clouds in the first place – their quiet heavy beauty as the light came through their lighter edges. Best of Friday to you.
Terrill –
It’s always a great treat to see one of your paintings come to life. I can see, and love, the “just a touch of sun catching the sky above the mountains…”
Sprout question: What creatively allows you to express dreariness, gloominess, or your darker side?
As a holistic health practitioner I regularly encounter that fact that life isn’t all smiles and laughter. As a non-fiction writer, I include the shadow side of humanity in my work.
I do believe Laurie you are an expert at acknowledging the dark so we can more easily see where the light is coming from. It is one of the things I appreciate about you… your ability to step up to what is and then move on through it with grace and humour keeping you and us company on the journey.
Terrill – That is one of the nicest compliments that I’ve ever received. Thank you.
You are welcome Laurie:)
I love that you showed your progress pictures. And the end result is wonderful!
In answer to your question, I love to use blacks and grays in paintings. I guess that qualifies as expression of my dark side, or at least moods. I have one big abstract that looks like swirling gray and yellow clouds with a big black tornado shape. An old childhood fear came right out on the canvas!!
Martha I always think it is fascinating how childhood fears or even new fears creep into our creative work for expression and release. Do you have an image of this painting online? It would be fun to have a look if you do.
A lovely painting indeed and a fresh open fell that uplifts the spirits
As colour is important in my work it is good to have the contrast of the darker colours !
In forest for instance the dark areas are a important place for the exciting things to happen for the magic of the painting,contrast I suppose
Another atmospheric masterwork, Terrill, that allows to art lover to appreciate perspective through mood contrast. We can never truly appreciate beauty, light, and the spring world view withough having cognizance of the other side. Frankly, it’s the side that usually yields the most fascination, depth and philosophical underpinning. Gloomy weather always brings out my creative instincts in this capacity.
Sam, my son would totally agree with you. His dark side is definitely where his creative muse likes to play when writing music and lyrics.
Beautiful.
Yes, I did spy that touch of light and think–yup, that’s Terrill.
What allows me to touch the dark–the same that allows me to touch the light–writing. It feeds my soul.
And lucky for us Leanne as we get to enjoy the results of your writing 🙂
I love your story of the monster Terrill! Sometimes, I just don’t think we can fundamentally change who we are. That you see friendly dragons in monsters and optimism in heavy clouds is a beautiful thing.
What creatively allows you to express dreariness, gloominess or your darker side? Photographs of graffiti or seriously deteriorating doors, buildings, etc. I love the textures and the imperfect, and it’s become a reminder that I harbor imperfect and darkness within me as well, even though I usually prefer the light and beauty.
Kat, I think I often feed my creativity on melancholy but the results tend to reach for the light. A genuinely happy person, others on the edges of my life frequently miss my quiet dark musing times, partly because this is my alone time. I feel those of you who read come with me more often than those in my day-to-day life. But sharing my creative process with honesty and vulnerability would be incomplete without these reflections – and a mystery when the results are light bound.
Heavy Cloud is lovely of course — Monet like, I think. I’ve always loved the impressionists. But you are making several good points here. The need for “balance” in our creativity, bringing forth the ying and yang of life in powerful visual ways. So here, you just rename the painting, Heavy Cloud with a Touch of Light! More seriously, Terill, I don’t think heavy has to mean heavy, necessarily. There are many ways to convey “heavy” and so it is up to the viewer now to perceive and interpret, right? Besides, it is only our minds that want to see things as either or … while our spirits fly on with “what is” in the unified sense. Thanks for sharing your many talents … we’re still pondering which painting and/or photograph must be ours! Have a lovely weekend. –Daisy
Yes Daisy it is “only our minds that want to see thingas as either or… while our spirits fly on with ‘what is in the unified sense.” This an excellent reminder to relax into our creativity and be present to what is before us both externally and internally.
Glad to hear you are still pondering Daisy. I believe that just the right piece will one day jump up and greet you and that will be it. Your decision will be made. Be patient. The decision will almost make itself. I told this to a potential buyer last summer and it happened just like this for her as well. She went home with her painting a few weeks ago.
I got the cold part from Heavy Cloud right away. It doesn’t feel heavy to me though, rather more refreshing – like somewhere I might like to be to cleanse myself deeply. But that may be because I’ve just had a heavy experience w/a bunch of F.B. hackers and feel the need for an energy ‘cleanse’.
Writing fiction allows me to express my darker side, the doom and gloom of it all, etc, etc. That’s the one place I can go with all my baggage and pick thru it bit by bit, without feeling guilty for either not being more positive or less negative. Hum, I just realized what a balance point this is for me, this thing of writing fiction, no wonder I miss it so.
Alison it was rather crisp and cool on the day these heavy clouds were reflecting the light. I to like these kind of days for their cleansing quality. You and Leanne both seem to be able to write your doom and gloom. Interestingly enough this isn’t something I would think about even if my mom did send me to write “mad letters” as a way of expressing my feelings when I was a kid. Maybe it is that I can never seem to hold the darkness long enough to find the right words before it slips away again? Good luck on keeping your balance point!
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Beautiful! I’t so interesting to see how the painting unfolds.
From what seems so long ago Deborah. So much has happened since I painted this work. Wow! Thanks for the reminder 🙂