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litka — The Moorland Gate and Moonlight
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Published: 2012-12-08 04:18:59 +0000 UTC; Views: 990; Favourites: 35; Downloads: 24
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Description
18x24" 45x60cm acrylic on hardboardI've been painting several series of small paintings since my last posting: more coastline studies, a couple moonlight pieces, a couple of small landscapes that were painted to look like big pieces, and a first snow study, just to be seasonal. This is my first large piece in quite a while and it's a mash-up of these small painting ideas, except that it's a big painting that looks like a small ones instead of the reverse.
Though I sometimes put figures in my paintings, I often don't. I realize that in a painting like this the lack of a figure gives it a rather lonely feel. I don't bother with figures for several reasons: one simply because many artists do put figures in their landscapes so why should I? However, more to the point is that if my painting works, the view will be drawn inside the frame, and why should they share it with a stranger? What I'm painting is a first person singular painting rather than a third person singular one with the viewer painted in already.
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Comments: 17
Fabulous. Love the colours, the loneliness, the brilliant use of perspective.
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Thanks again for your comments: sorry about the lag in my replies: blame it on the distractions of the holidays.
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Beautiful painting!
The snow has a lovely depth to it, very nice mixture of colours.
I especially like the trees. Just they way you've painted them, it's like your signature style.
Nice thought about leaving out the figures. Without them I find it gives the viewer more room to contemplate about the painting.
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That's pretty much the way I paint all my trees these days. Abstractly. As for the figures, I paint my most of my paintings as if I'm actually standing there painting the picture plein aire. (Though of course, it's just imaginary. And I do paint 'standing up' since that way if I have several figures, the heads all stay at the same level and the nearer one gets larger in one direction: down wards; which makes them easier to paint.) Anyways, I'm far too shy to paint in public, even in make-believe public, so in most scenes, if I do add a figure, it feels like I'm just making it up to appeal to people and that often feel like a compromise. Still, I did a piece the other day with lots of figues in it, so it's not a hard and fast rule.
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Good idea Chuck! I would rather let the landscape speak for itself than put some figure in it! Is that snow
on the left? Moonlight on snow is a beautifull sight, especially thru woodlands, I've only been privileged to
see such things back in the 80's when i was in the Army, Stationed at Ft. Belvoir, Va., Such images left me
mystified! You just don't see that much down here in central Texas.
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You bet it's snow. Tempting fate, and sure enough, several inches of the stuff arrived Saturday. Snow at night can be really nice: after you're done shoveling the stuff, without a heart attack, and you're warm and there's no wind, it can be really lovely. Hate to go in sometimes.
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Our billet was surrounded by woods, One time after heavy snow i went up hill across from it were an open area is located and stopped in my tracks as I saw full moonlight upon the plain with the shadow of trees waving across it, The land seemed to glow as if lit from below! I'll carry that moment to the end of my days.
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the colours reminde me of the colours i'm aiming for at the moment.
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They're not my usual ones, but they give a warmer feeling than blues and blacks and I try to keep my winter scenes as warm as possible...
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maybe that's what i like about it. the warmth in the cold. winter is too cold for me 
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Thanks again: though unrealistic, a green night sky works remarkably well for some reason.
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you are welcome. Paintings are about moods, colours, expression, not about realism, at least to me 
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Huh, very interesting philosophy on figures inside of paintings. I've never thought of it like that. Food for thought!
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I have little doubt that having people in a painting makes it more appealing to more people. However, unless you're trying to make a living in this racket, I think painting to appeal to more people is not really best way to create new art.
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You're probably correct. Sometimes being more original with your art can cost you.
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