Evolution of a Work - "Spruce Creek - Plein Air'

I went out painting with a friend in early spring along Spruce Creek near Colrain Furnace.  We clamored around, dragging easels and boxes of pastels over logs and along steep hillsides, trying not to fall into the creek.  I was starting to think that we were wasting effort and might not find an inspiring spot to paint, until we  turned around and saw a striking light.  And then my focus suddenly shifted from wandering to a hurry-up challenge of capturing the scene before the light changed. 

I was most interested in the bright light and radiant colors on the far right bank.  The shadow areas and dark trees on the left were important in setting up this 'glow' of the sunlit area as contrast to it.  The triangular shapes of color also interested me in how different sections interacted with each other- for instance, the red grassy bank on the right abuts a green triangle of reflected color in the water, and as complementary (opposite on the color wheel) colors, they energize one another.   The cool blue interacts similarly with the pale yellow.

Sketch from on-location

I remember feeling somewhat at a loss on location.  Even though I was seeing all of these interesting things, I felt that I hadn't managed to get them down on paper.  Repeating the scrambling trek back to the car, I felt discouraged like I wasn't bringing anything of value back home.

After putting the plein air start out of sight for a few days, I pulled it out and was surprised that I liked it.  The overview of colors and shapes and their interactions were more apparent to me, and I felt they only needed to be more fully integrated.  Cropping the image to an upper square took out the distracting detail and unrelated shapes which were in the foreground, and left the dynamic interactions which had first drawn me to this scene. You can see below that I cropped quite a bit out from the original plein air start (in the photo below, you can see the tape that defines a cropped section.  Also notice the pastel marks on the bottom tape- I often test colors on the tape border before using them on the painting itself). 

Cropping to improve the composition

Now that the overall shape motifs and colors had emerged, I worked to finish the painting with a satisfying sense of wholeness, not just a literal copy of the scene.  I darkened the pine tree on the left, and stroked in a triangle of orange directly under it just because it felt like it needed to be there as a counterpoint to the other colors in the image.  The dark mass of the tree makes the light areas on the top right seem even brighter by contrast, thereby emphasizing the main aspect of the scene which had really spoken to me. 

'Spruce Creek - Plein Air' by Alice Kelsey - finished

I feel satisfied looking at the final piece, and am pleased that it went on to be juried into a national show, and was recently purchased.  Looking back on the evolution of this painting, I'm surprised that I could have left the scene that day feeling like I'd failed to do justice to what I was seeing.  Reflecting further, I realize that I often feel this uncertainty in the early stages of my works.  I'm coming to realize that this uncertainty is a necessary part of the creating process for me.... the work evolves one stepping stone at a time, following leads about where it needs to go.

Show Opening in Bellefonte

"Red Barn and Shed in Winter", Oil

I attended the opening reception for the Holiday Show and Sale at the Bellefonte Art Museum today, and enjoyed seeing an interesting array of artwork by area artists. The show looks colorful and inviting, with paintings in many media and styles, photographs, prints, fiber arts, ceramics, and wood boxes and sculpture. Three of my paintings (two oils of local landscapes, and a pastel still life of a plum 'with attitude') are exhibited and available for purchase, including the one shown above. The show/sale continues through January 13, and I hope that you get a chance to see it. Here's the specifics:

Where: Bellefonte Art Museum, 133 N. Allegheny St., Bellefonte, PA
When: Nov. 30 - Jan. 13
Hours:  Fridays - Sundays, 12 - 4:30 pm

Palmer Museum- Gallery Talk

I attended a gallery talk about Japanese Woodblock Prints at the Palmer Museum on Friday, and enjoyed it immensely! The museum has a special exhibit of these works, "Floating Between Worlds: A Conversation about Japanese Woodblock Prints", which ends December 9. Gallery talks and other special events take place several times a month at the Palmer Museum, and I'm really glad to have these opportunities to learn about different media and styles! If you're interested, check out http://www.palmermuseum.psu.edu/events.html

Evolution of a Work - 'Winter Field and Wild Cherry'

I like the peaceful feeling and sense of distance in this piece, which was inspired during a walk around a neighbor's farm.  In winter, neutral colors predominated, and the red of twigs on the cherry trees became even more prominent in contrast to the background colors.

'Winter Field and Wild Cherry' by Alice Kelsey - completed

I set up my easel and made this quick pastel sketch on location.  It was pretty cold, so there was no question of working for a prolonged time!  Even though I recorded only the bare essence of the scene, there is something about painting on location that enables me to see more and get a feel of the conditions of that particular day.

Initial sketch made on location

Back in the studio, I worked over the top of the field sketch (see image below), elaborating on the colors, emphasizing the pull to the distance with colors growing lighter and bluer, and the energetic tangle of the red twigs.  I liked the mood and feel of the piece, but I just didn't feel the composition was resolved.  My eye didn't move throughout it- rather the two trees in the foreground either drew my attention or my eye moved to the hedgerow... but the parts of the painting didn't seem to relate to each other, and the shapes didn't lead my eye to circulate throughout the painting in a pleasing way.

'Winter Field and Wild Cherry' part way done

For several months I was stuck on what to do with this piece, until one day after I hadn't seen it for a while, I pulled it out from storage and I saw what it needed.  I took out the base of the left hand foreground tree, and then cropped out the left side of the painting, leaving about two-thirds of the original composition (compare the pre-crop and final version of the painting below).  In this resulting square format, the movement from the right foreground tree to the hedgerow seems balanced and pleasing to me - my eye circulates freely through the painting without getting 'stuck' on any one spot.  I also simplified the shapes by quieting the colors in the fields, and taking out the underbrush in the left foreground because it created a visual barrier to the rest of the painting.

I really like this piece with its apparent simplicity, yet strong mood and lots of space and textures for the viewer to explore.  It has that harmony 'as a whole' that I strive for, and I'm really pleased when I can get it, like in this painting.  In the end, it really reminds me of what I felt walking on this land on that cold day (and my gratitude for being there).

'Winter Field and Wild Cherry' before cropping

'Winter Field and Wild Cherry' by Alice Kelsey - finished

Rewarding Time at Lewisburg's 'Stroll Through the Arts'

"Redbuds at the River"

I enjoyed sharing my artwork and talking with art appreciators last night at Faustina's Gallery in Lewisburg, PA. I was one of many artists in and about the town sharing our latest creations during the annual 'Art Stroll' event, and greatly appreciate the comments from viewers about what they see and feel in my paintings. Some frequent comments related to a strong sense of color, distinctive style, expressive gestural mark-making, and a poetic quality of overall mood. I'm really glad that these qualities in my paintings come through to viewers, since they are very powerful aspects of what inspires me as an artist, and what I feel that original visual art is able to add to enrich our lives. The joint exhibit, 'Upstream: Images of Susquehanna Waterways,' includes twenty of my recent oil and pastel paintings, and continues through November 17 at Faustina's Gallery. I hope that you get a chance to see it- if so, please let me know what you think! The gallery is located at 229 Market St., Lewisburg, PA and is open Tuesday - Saturday, 10 am - 5 pm, and by appointment (phone 570-524-5080.)

Studio Tour and Demo. Oct. 20 & 21

Alice Kelsey painting in studio

Here's an interesting, fun opportunity to see original artwork in many media, and a glimpse of the working set-up and approaches used by area artists. I'm one of over twenty artists participating in the Art Alliance of Central PA's "Fall Colors Studio Tour." I welcome you to visit my studio and studio gallery on Saturday, October 20 and Sunday, October 21, from 11 am to 4 pm. I'll display finished oil and pastel paintings in my studio gallery, and also demonstrate pastel technique with an in-progress work in my studio. I'd enjoy sharing my work, and workspace with you, and hope that you can drop by (637 Loveville Rd., Warriors Mark, PA 16877, 814-692-4438.) Might be fun to make a day of it with a road trip to many other studios as well! A brochure listing participating artists and a map can be found at http://www.artalliancepa.org/news.htm

Stream Paintings Coming Together

"Spruce Creek- Plein Air", Pastel

The series of paintings of area streams which I've been creating over the past year are coming together! As I finish framing them in preparation for the joint exhibit, and they hang next to each other on the walls of my studio gallery, they speak to me of the forces of nature and harmony in the places where I traveled to paint on location. In this series of paintings, I wanted to create a body of work giving an overview of the watershed (mostly tributaries to the West Branch Susquehanna), over four seasons. Together with fellow artist, friend, and flyfisher Jeanne McKinney, I painted at over twenty sites during the past year, from mountain brooks, to valley streams, and on to the Susquehanna itself.

As I frame the paintings one by one, the fifteen finished works which will soon be in the show gather on the walls of my studio gallery, enriching me with the 'voices' of these places, and resonance as a group. I am glad to have been to these places, and feel gratified in my part in capturing some of their spirit in oil and pastel. There is some of my voice too- a relatedness between the works in marks and touch- and I feel very satisfied in doing my work.

I'd love to share them with you if you are able to see the show (see www,alicekelsey.com for details of where & when.)