Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Down into the Canyon

9x9 pastel on Uart paper
It was almost sunset and freezing when I began this one. When I left the scene it was very unfinished. The Rio Grande. I worked with it sporadically since I returned. It meant digging into my memory and trying to pull out that golden light and deep shadow.
Hmmmmmm...back to spring in DC.

10 comments:

regis pettinari said...

a little bit like Monet. Very good !

Brian McGurgan said...

I like how much is suggested with so little specific detail, Loriann - the sense of distance, space, and depth is very strong.

Janelle Goodwin said...

I LOVE what you did here. I feel like I'm there. Great design and sense of depth with your shadow!

NJ ART 73 said...

Loriann- you have some beautiful color gradations in this painting. I like the way you handled the mountains. I am not sure that the river are those colors but it works.Sometimes when you work on a painting away from the intial source you have to balance out what you think was there and what you remember which is never easy to do.

loriann signori said...

Thanks Regis!

Hi Brian. The kind of distance I am trying to achieve is quite a challenge on my 6x6 paper! But I must say it was easier doing it away form the source. Thanks for your feedback!

Hi Janelle.
Thanks.....playing with the shadow was fun.

Hi NJ,
You're right about being away from the source...the flip side is it really frees one up to answer the painting rather than be a slave to the landscape. Who is in charge here anyway? heehee

Karen said...

I love this idea of doing a few memory paintings per week (goes on my list). From this image, it seems like you got N.M. pretty well ingrained in your mind, as you've gotten at that amazing combination of subtle and brilliant that goes on in the land out there.
(and, I have to catch up with the tons you've been doing lately! apologies for being so absent lately...I've missed a lot!)

Jala Pfaff said...

Really great color. My favorite parts are that golden ochre color near the top, and the blue-violet dark of the river in shadow.

loriann signori said...

Thanks Jala. That's interesting since I added those color notes in the studio. I felt that I needed to punch out both places.

Casey Klahn said...

I recognized you at my blog for this New Mexico series. Hope that's okay with you.

loriann signori said...

Wow, thank you Casey. Any recognition from you is an honor.