The Making of Mt. Nittany (In Oil and Pastel!)

'Mt. Nittany and Fall Colors', Oil on Linen, 31 x 49 In.

The genesis of this large oil on linen featuring Mt. Nittany includes several metamorphic stages, of experiences and materials evolving together. Looking back through the strata, here's how it came to be:

'Mt. Nittany Across Autumn Fields', Pastel, Private Collection

The pastel above was created on location (on Nixon Rd., near Pine Grove Mills), on a crisp, fall morning. The gold of the soybean field, wind of shifting season, jewels of fall foliage, and interlaced layers of hedgerows drew me in.... I see the traces of these elements in the work itself- something I like very much about plein air works.

'Mt. Nittany from Nixon Rd.", Pastel, Private Collection

Next, back in the studio, I started a new pastel based on the plein air work, with some compositional and color variants (see above)

'Mt Nittany and Fall Colors' In-Progress 1

The expanse of land, and mass of mountain called for a larger scale, and the textures of oil and linen, so I hand-stretched a canvas measuring almost 3 x 4 ft., prepared its surface with four coats of acrylic gesso, and started in with thin washes of oil color, laying in the essential composition (see above). I like the experience of working on a canvas that's almost as big as me- there's room for gesture, and 'paintings within paintings' (sections of the painting that interact which each other). Pretty soon, the painting starts 'talking to me', with one adjustment opening the door for the next. Here's an image of the middle period:

Mt. Nittany and Fall Colors' In-Progress 2

and now this geological survey brings us back to the top of the page, with the completed oil painting! The next leg of the journey resumes on May 16, when 'Mt Nittany and Fall Colors' will be auctioned at the Palmer Museum of Art Gala Event. I'm delighted to have been selected as one of three featured artists at this annual event, and hope that this painting continues on a fruitful journey! For more about the Gala Event, see http://www.palmermuseum.psu.edu/

Solo Show- Final Strokes in Place!

'Uphill to the Ridge'

Yeah! An hour ago, I finished the last stroke of the last painting for my solo show at Penn State which opens in next month! I'm VERY happy with these latest works- bigger and brighter than ever before! Here's a rough still-in-studio photo of the painting which I finished today- one of nine large oils (almost as big as me) and more than thirty works total, which will be in the exhibit ('Passages'- Recent Paintings by Alice Kelsey, The HUB Gallery, Pennsylvania State University- see my website for details www.alicekelsey.com)

To give you a glimpse of the making of this painting, here's some photos of interim stages over several months:

Beginning

I laid in the essential composition and colors with thin oil paint, aiming for shapes and gesture that harmonize and energize.  Once these forces are present, the painting itself gives me ideas about what to tune, what to add to augment it's mood and overall balance....becoming something more 'whole':

Middle stage

And then some more balancing (note lighter and softer color in left sky):

Mid- Late stage

And finally, today I made some small but essential (to me, anyway :)) changes... not sure if they're readily apparent-  I wonder if viewers can find the three changes to this last image:

Final stage