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Paint Arson
March 26, 2009
Paint Arson, 11H x 11W x 3D inches acrylics on canvas, wrapped sides painted.
Frame unnecessary. Hang on a wall or display on a flat surface. Signed on the side so as not to impose on the composition.
Progress and process phases 1 and 2 images.
Painting, whatever the subject may be, is a journey through all kinds of unanticipated thoughts and associations; some are short and sweet, ending within 1 – 6 hours and not much more than a visual, but some are packed full of adventure that isn’t even realized until surfacing from a few hours of work.
A new jar of Cadmium Red medium hue was just the thing to reboot, then re-route some old habits I was falling back into, like over-working paintings. Trying a new color invigorates the work process like nothing else can, adding certain life to the results as well. Incorporated as a base, straight out of the tube or mixed with your usual palette, a new color can change everything.
Here, I began with a lush Redwood Forest in mind, thinking I could safely stir up some inspiration with the hot scarlet instead of my usual cool green palette. After coating the entire surface with such energy, there’s nothing I can do except follow and see where it leads. The strength and intensity of this color as a base is dictating a whole other unintended but interesting direction, and it’s in charge for a while. I did not intend to start a fire! I hope I can manage it…
The forest was still smoldering when we walked through the Californian Redwoods and Sequoias, and my memory lapses into romanticized imagery of smoky rays wafting in a golden sunset. It’s a wonder that the effects of forest devastation could be so pretty. The fact is that just the week before, a raging fire was the cause of all that beauty. As I’m painting this I’m thinking of these things, like how fire is a naturally occurring event like rain and snow, is an essential part of forest cycles, and how fire is destructive but also supports renewal and re-creation.
Fire controls pests and disease, opens pinecones to expose seeds, and by burning weeds and weaker trees that rob sunlight and nutrients from healthier trees and plants, it clears the way for those new seeds to sprout. Ash aerates and contains properties that determine the quality of soil and what is able to grow there. Because cones from trees like the giant Sequoia only release seeds through fire, today’s standard fire management practice is to allow naturally occurring forest fires to burn, with intention to sensibly control it.
So, what element does it take to spark motivation, opening a painter’s eyes to new possibilities? A jar of Cadmium Red medium hue!
$350.00 
Categories: abstract, acrylic painting, Art for sale, Conservation, elements, Environmental issues, Forests, inspiration, Issues, Magic Square Series, series, The Majesty of Trees Collection, trees | 5 Comments »
5 Responses to “Paint Arson”
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March 27th, 2009 at 11:06
Exciting! Deserves a large canvas…..
March 28th, 2009 at 11:06
Whew! This is amazing. How wonderful to be energized by color- or is it colour? or colouer?
I know the feeling. I have a new tube of blue that’s beckoning!
March 28th, 2009 at 11:06
The blue in this is pretty amazing too!
March 28th, 2009 at 11:06
Jim (Daddio!) and Virginia: it might be a complete sensory overload to paint this on a large canvas. The red is an incredible colo…….er, how ’bout we call it pigment!
March 28th, 2009 at 11:06
Hi Nikki
This awesome.