study – MARSH DRAMA © Sharon L Hicks, 2013

Prismacolour pencils, 5 x 7

Well, this is it. November 30. Blog post # 30. Quick Study # 30. I've reached my goal of posting a study every day, and finding something else to write about as well. Now that the end of this month and the end of this project has arrived, I'm not so sure I'm glad about it. I've become quite fond of the daily routine of finding a little something to write about, while I share a bit of insight into what makes me tick, what excites me enough to want to make a painting about it.

As I mentioned in yesterday's blog post, this image is the second one I selected from that quick unplanned photo sprint out onto the marsh last month. I said I'd saved the best of the two for last, and I think you'll agree. This is it. I wanted this series, this project, to 'go out with a bang', or at the very least, a bit of drama. And this is sky-drama at its best.

Yesterday's study was done from the eastern view out on the marsh that day, this one shows the view looking toward the west, where the sun was sinking but hadn't yet reached the angle where the red light starts to seep through. The darkening clouds which obscured the sun were literally glowing, and it was truly a breathtaking sight to behold. It cried out “paint me!”

                    My photo                                   after 5 minutes                           after 1 hour

I did take a few liberties with the composition, and played with the colour a bit too. Since I was looking directly toward the sun, everything in the foreground and background appeared in silhouette, even though there was still lots of light. The effect is an optical illusion of sorts, due to the brightness of the light in the sky. Even though a quick study such as this cannot fully do it justice, it's a starting point. This is another study I will very likely rework as a complete painting, perhaps with the Prismacolour pencils, perhaps with Oil paints. That remains to be seen.

What I do know for sure is that the feeling I get when I encounter a scene such as this is very addictive. It's a 'high', so to speak, and is only superceded by the next 'high' that occurs when I have captured the image in pigment. It is the constant search for the next 'fix' which spurs me on to keep creating more and more paintings. When I see something like this it just tugs at some deep part of me and will not be ignored.

That is a lesson I've learned over many years of trying to ignore it, while trying my best to focus on other things, other more lucrative endeavours, other more active ways to live my life. It's a drive which I was born with, it's always been there, and refuses to go away, even after six and a half decades. It will accompany me to my grave. And now at this stage of my life I have given myself over to its influence, heart and soul, hook line and sinker. I'm at peace with who I am, what I am.

As addictions go, this is a good one to have.

So now, what's next ? Good question. Whatever it is, you can be sure I'll be blogging about it at some point. See you then.

Cheers

Sharon