Art Adventures - by Patricia Banks©
Published July 2021 in Nanaimo Magazine and Voyager Mag
Published July 2021 in Nanaimo Magazine and Voyager Mag
Gratitude comes to mind as I walk along the sunny shore attempting to choose one of nature’s spectacular vignettes to paint today. Close-up or panorama? There is beauty at every turn. We are spoiled for choice, no matter where we are, but it is the scenery near one’s home, that is familiar, and always most cherished. An artist’s eye sees potential in every form: from dancing ripples carried out to a wide blue horizon, patterns of light and shadow cast by swaying trees, to the startling yellow glow of stonecrop succulents in bloom. Inspiration is everywhere.
I am nearly always drawn to paint water, perhaps because I was born under the astrological water sign, Pisces. Even if a view does not contain water, I imagine it is there and add a stream, a pond, or some other water feature that fits the natural harmony of the landscape. When visiting the desert, I like to paint dry riverbeds, called washes, and include refreshing traces of cool blue water to soften the perception of harshness. To paint water well, you must study its properties and observe it under a myriad of situations and conditions. Observe water in different locations; in lakes, swamps, marshes, breaking in waves on the seashore, bubbling in a stream, or flowing in a large river. Look closely at raindrops on windows, and curtains of rain falling from the sky. Watch the play of light, the reflections of objects and colours, the type of movement, the effects of weather, the temperature and the seasons.
It is the little nuances that distinguish water and make it appear real on a flat canvas surface. It is vision, knowing one’s subject, and using acquired skills, that makes a successful painter. Gratitude comes from appreciating the small things in life.
It is the little nuances that distinguish water and make it appear real on a flat canvas surface. It is vision, knowing one’s subject, and using acquired skills, that makes a successful painter. Gratitude comes from appreciating the small things in life.
