study – EASTERN DUSK ©Sharon L Hicks, 2013
Prismacolour Pencils... 5 x 7
Today is November 23. 50 years ago today the world mourned the sudden and unexpected loss of US president JFK. I think everyone remembers exactly where they were when they heard that news. It was a Friday, just as this year the 23rd falls on a Friday as well. For me it was a school day, and I was just returning back to school after a trip uptown with a group of friends, on our lunch hour. Another classmate met us just inside the door, and in tears told the rest of us what had happened. At first I thought it was a joke, but no, it was real. It was a turning point in US politics and security, felt around the rest of the world as well.
But today also marks another 50 year anniversary - the first airing of the smash hit BBC programme DOCTOR WHO. They were hesitant to air it after the news about JFK aired earlier that day, for they figured nobody would tune in to a brand-new untested sci-fi adventure show because they'd be totally wrapped up in the tragic news from the US. But they went ahead anyway, and the rest, as they say, is history.
They had something new and different, and were very unsure of how it would meet with public approval. It's said they figured it would be a short-lived series, with a few episodes at best. But the creators of the show's concept believed in their idea, and their product, and they were brave enough to 'put it out there' for all the world to see. It didn't really matter to them what the public thought of it, they had created something unique and wanted to show it to the world, whatever the reaction might be.
Well, 50 years later we know what the reaction was. It was an instant hit, and the show has evolved over the years, just as the show's main character has evolved, so that several generations of big and little 'kids' now tune in regularly to see what's next. The show has become a cultural icon - there are few people who don't at least recognize that famous blue phone box, and certain words like 'Tardis' and 'Dalek' have attained nearly universal recognition.
I see the original creators of that programme as true 'artists'. They dared to 'think outside the box', they created something new and different, they were uncertain how it would be received but they put it out there anyway because they believed in what they had done. They did it for the love of what they had created, and the commercial success was a great little side-effect.
This is the way of creating paintings as well. The artist paints what matters to him/her, regardless what anyone else might think of it. We put our work out there for the public to see, not because we are looking for recognition or acclaim, but to show the world our statement - “this is how I see things”. “These are the things that matter to me.” If our work manages to touch someone in a special way, if a viewer 'gets' what we've tried to portray, that's just gravy.
This series of sky studies falls into that category ... it was important to me to do this series, for various reasons. I present them here simply to say 'here's what has caught my interest lately'. If someone viewing them can relate to these images in some way, that is wonderful. But it's not even necessary, for me to consider them successful in their own right. They have served a purpose and are very special to me.
Whether anyone will remember them in 50 years is a moot point. What matters is the 'now'. We only have today, even tomorrow is not guaranteed, as history teaches us time and again.
And so, here is the development of study # 23.
my photo after 10 minutes after 1 hour
Although the sun sets in the West, the colour effects can be seen in all directions. Here we see a view looking toward the East, as we approach the end of the day. The sun's angle is low in the sky, which allows us to see the purples and pinks in the spectrum of light.
As usual, I've cropped the image somewhat, and I've used the cloud formations as a guide to interpret, rather than aiming for an exact replica. By now you've heard me say (metaphorically, at least) several times how the colours in photographs are distorted from their real-life versions, and this is one aspect I take into account when I paint from photos. I've always been a sky-watcher, and my over 60 years of 'looking up' have provided me with a good bank of 'colour memory' which I can pull out when I need it. This accumulated memory allows me to adjust colours in paintings so they're more realistic than what the photo portrays.
Tomorrow I'll be back with study # 24 ... hard to believe there's now only 7 more left to go ... what will I write about then I wonder?
Cheers
Sharon
