I’ve been working on variations of this image for two weeks now.
I am trying to clarify the vision I have, a glimpse of eternity that caught my eye, one late afternoon in November.
I want to paint something elusive that lies beyond what I see.
In my effort to catch it, I keep focused on the trees, the bushes, the light. Determined, I juggle with colors, composition, scale and brushstrokes.
Still, it eludes me.
I may be trying too hard. But I know there is a process happening here: once I have done several studies, enough to know this particular theme by heart, then I will be able forget about the represented elements in the picture. And when my hand will start to have a mind if it’s own, then I will reach a balance of attention and abandon that makes it all breathe.
Or shall I say dance?
I like to dance, and I can see the similarities here. First, there is a warm up. Then there are steps to be learned, and practiced until your body knows how to move with the music. That’s when expression jumps in.
One early sketch:
Much looser than the colored gouache above, it is closer to what I am aiming for.
Drawing in black and white in a small scale allows me to focus on the essential.
In the studio, I am stepping on my own feet right now.
But I hope to be dancing soon.