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.