"Gold in the Hills"

First I would like to preface this post with a personal bias, this is one of my newest "favorite" paintings.  There are always a few paintings that I am particularly happy with, it changes all the time, this just happens to be one of them at the moment.  Being a full time professional artist these favorites come on rare occasion, for they must stand-out among the rest, for reasons not always clear to myself.

This painting has a great sense of harmony, probably one of the reasons I like it.  

Anyway, let's talk about color harmony.  Finding harmonies in artistic ventures is not all that difficult... honestly.  The simplest harmonies are monotones.  I would daresay that it's impossible for a monotone NOT to be harmonious, almost by definition.  Moving from one side (monotone) to the other (a full-color spectrum,) however, is a completely different story.  Most artists become comfortable with a narrow range of colors, the stick with them, and learn them well.  Not a bad idea, and helps paintings maintain a certain cohesive quality.  From what I've noticed the more mature the artist becomes (not just older, but more experienced) the more they tend to experiment with pushing the harmony envelope.  Perhaps due to boredom, or perhaps because he/she has mastered the other colors and feels that they need additional growth.  Regardless, the fact is that the closer one comes to a full-spectrum the more difficult harmonies become.  Nature somehow finds a way to push colors to their very limits in nature, while still maintaining a harmony.  Nature is the great harmonizer, but I find that perhaps nature plays tricks on us, as artists (or perhaps it tricks us into thinking we've been tricked. ;))  

Harmonies are achieved by identifying the colors in a given scene and restraining the compliments.  Sounds simple enough. But if you think about it, trying to achieve a "full spectrum" harmony AND restraining some of the compliments is impossible, since full spectrum means using all colors.  I venture to say that it is impossible to use all colors, especially given that we are lacking with our imperfect pigments.  Is attaining the impossible really the goal?  I say no, it's getting as close to it as possible, the trick is, still making it believable!

Kind-of a rambling post, sorry.

Making things more special with french words.

On Location



This little color study was done a couple weeks ago.  It was done on location in Diamond Fork Canyon with John Hughes and Seth Winegar (my brother.)   A large quantity of the land in the area is owned by Robert Redford (of Hollywood stardom.)  It is a beautiful area, and worth the road-trip for sure, especially with the recent fall colors. 

This unrefined painting was done to capture the colors and values, which is hard to do from a photograph.  From this study, and the photos I took of the area, I will eventually complete a studio piece.  But this is not the point of this post:  Overuse of french phrases in painting.

The last decade or so has seen the increase of many French words in art (and Italian for that matter.)  For some reason taking a mundane phrase like "Painting on Location" or "Direct Painting" and changing it to "En Plein Air" or "Alla Prima" makes it more romantic and educated, and by extension more "legitimate." 

Recently I have also noticed a rebellion against such arbitrary linguistic assignations.  Artists who refuse to use such phrases.  Most recently I read something by Trend Gudmundson alluding to the overuse of such phrases.  To these artists I applaud.  You may add one more to your ranks!

The Lighter Side, "Treasure for Alyssa."

"The Lighter Side"  Approx. 16x24 (with silver handcrafted frame)

This painting is slated to be auctioned off at a fundraiser event this Saturday.  This fundraiser is being held to benefit "Treasure for Alyssa" a local group that is dedicated to raising money for Alyssa Baker.  The following is a quote from Alyssa: 

"I was diagnosed with a Meningioma brain tumor on December 5th, 2010. The only way to get it out was through surgery. It took four surgeries to get out as much of the tumor as they could and now I am almost finished with my radiation treatments. I am so grateful for all my friends who have been praying for me and my family and helping us get through this."   -Alyssa

Let's really help her and her family get through these troubling times.  I've donated this painting outright, many people have donated other items as well, all the proceeds will go to benefit the family.  Please attend this wonderful event, and bring your checkbooks!

For more info: http://www.treasureforalyssa.com/

Sincerely, Simon

I almost forgot, this print will be auctioned off as well (with a different frame:)



Cold Shadows

Cold Shadows

This is a scene just a short walk from my home, I used to be able to see it out my front door (until all the other homes sprang-up.)

I'm fairly certain this is a painting that only an artist can love...or at least THIS artist.  I've been around the art world long enough to know that there are certain paintings that tend to get a response above others.  People tend to gravitate toward warm tones, universal subject matter, fall colors and gently suggestive compositions.  In my experience this painting is the opposite of everything in the art world that is marketable.  Probably one of the reasons I like it so much.

The painting is cold.  Cold paintings don't sell well, nor do overtly green or blue paintings (this falls into all three categories.)  Dynamic paintings can also be hard for people to swallow, the shadows are nothing if not dynamic.  The composition could also be described as such.  The composition is a bit forceful, not just suggesting to the viewer to observe the tree, but almost yelling at him/her to do so. 

One critique about this image is that I feel it has a little bit too much sky.  If I were to do it again I would chop a bit off the top, as my barber would say :).  I originally painted it this way so as to shorten the foreground (since I wanted only a specific amount to show.) In the end I believe a shorter height would behoove the painting (don't you just love the word behoove. Such a great word!) 

I'm sure it will eventually find a home, but this is one of those paintings I did simply because I wanted to.  It will hang around the studio until it finds that one person that it is destined to find. I will lay down dollars to dimes it will be someone who is actually interested in the "art" of it, and not someone who just wants a pretty picture. 

Wolf Creek, 40x48

This piece was done in the studio from a photograph. I the pic while driving home from a client's property in Wolf Creek, Utah. The area is fantastic, it is covered with aspen trees and is the epitome of open space. The piece is done almost exclusively with knife-work.

(This is a re-post I originally put on Facebook.)

This 36x36 is geared toward tonalism.  The hues encountered are of a much narrower spectrum, limiting the blue side and focusing on the warmer side. I enjoy the aspen tree because of it's strong character and dynamic values and colors. I focus a lot on painting trees, I find that they have characters and personalities similar to people. Frequently I use them as a metaphor in describing human interaction. You may find it interesting to explore what kind of metaphor these trees represent.

Yin and Yang

"Aspen Copse" 10x30 inches

If I were a theologian I would argue that opposites only exist in relation to each other.  One might argue that without polar opposites or seemingly contrary forces neither element would exist.  It is only through this interdependence that life has any meaning at all...for even life has it's opposite.  Theoretically even if such a paradox did exist, one would be unable to describe or identify such a condition. 

Since I am an artist, not necessarily a "deep thinker" I'm compelled to relate the ideas of Yin and Yang to the visual world.  All paintings use the ideas of contrary forces, for what is a painting but an interpretation of objects (or the lack thereof) being influenced by light (or the lack thereof.)

This painting is born from an idea of trying to balance opposites.  It uses nearly equal quantities of light and dark.  It employs colors that are near polar opposites (partly neutralized for harmonic effect.) The trees themselves seem to be each other's antithesis; one group being bright, full round and colorful; the other being dark, sharp and devoid of color.  Even the inclines (the interfaces between the sky/mountain and the mountain shadow/highlighted mountain) are reflections of each other along a horizontal axis.  The composition is also an exercise in opposing forces, similar to a balance scale holding and weighing the elements portrayed. 

This painting was done on Belgian linen, which will last 500 years (so I'm told...I don't plan on finding out ;))  It was done using many of the techniques made popular by the Barbazon Tonalists.  Most notably are the techniques of glazing, scumbbling and employing the additive properties of pigments.  This is achieved by applying semi-transparent layers successively thus creating a stained-glass effect.  In essence when the light passes through these layers it augments the effect that the light has on the refracted particles of paint and medium.  Think of it like passing through millions of little prisms.  A light is so much brighter when you surround it with refracting surfaces, the same is true here. 

Vibrant Orange Gourds

I guess they're goards.  I know they're technically squash, but are they gourds also?...I don't know.

Anyway.

Fall has got to be my favorite season, I love the drama and the temperature.  I also like the suggestion of change that it seems to embody.  I think those are the reasons, among others, why I've been on a pumpkin-kick as of late.

I did this piece as a gallery demo in Park City last Saturday (Mountain Trails Gallery.)  I had a lot of positive comments, and was able to talk to quite a few people.  It was a lot of fun and always enjoy interacting with the public (for the most part ;))  This piece is currently on hold for another artist, so it is not available.  If you are interested in seeing others like this, just send me an email: info@winegarfineart.com.

Review:

One of the visual devices that I find interesting in this painting is the subdued and muted colors juxtaposed by the vibrant little nuggets of orange, it really makes those little gourds pop!  The composition is interesting, sort of a combination of an inverted "L" and a "Steelyard" or balancing format.  The natural horizon lies right along a natural focal line (not the perceived horizon, which is the interface between the rolling hills and the sky, but the natural division from the horizontal plane to the vertical or inclined plane...my own definitions btw.) The large bush and the road counterbalance each other and are also both lying opposite each other on vertical axes of the "golden rectangle."

I'm always concerned when I use a road in such a dynamic and forceful fashion (being worried that it will force the viewer too much, thus causing unease) this is one of the reasons I decided to push the right side of the road out to the edge of the canvas.  This causes either side of the road to have different lines, subduing the forceful manner at which it causes the viewer to be directed.  I believe it also creates more interest for the viewer.

Most of this painting is done with a knife.  I really enjoy the textures I can create with a knife, since I have a tendency toward texture, it is a tool that I use frequently.  The piece was done on a piece of MDF board, prepared with gesso (which was textured) and finished with an umber wash.  It was allowed to dry before the painting was started.