New Horizons... and Shifting Perspectives- Part One

I arrived back in Canada on Monday... very enriched from my Scotland sojourn... yet exceedingly happy to be ..."Home". When "I" first arrived in Scotland... and was unpacking my luggage in my single room at the Yorkston Bed and Breakfast in St Andrew's... "I" discovered a decorative handcrafted envelope. It contained a beautiful and uplifting card designed and created by my Wife and Soul Mate Deb. It read:

Where we love is Home-
Home that our feet may leave,
But not our hearts.
-Oliver Wendell Holmes

These sentiments did not at all make "Me" feel homesick. They were in fact, uplifting words from Deb that both empowered and propelled "Me" forward comfortably and fearlessly... knowing that "Home" was in my heart... and that "Home" was within reach at any given moment. "I" knew too, that there was a warm Home and "Heart" awaiting my return when this adventure into a new... exciting and very different world was complete.

Despite being greatly fatigued after a seven hour flight... a 0445 arrival at Glasgow Airport... combined with a three hour lay over at the Buchanan Bus Terminal and a three hour bus coach trip to reach St Andrew's, I unpacked quickly and launched out into the university town of St Andrew's in search of adventure... and of course... painting material!

What awaited "Me" was indeed adventure and a virtual dream world for a plein air painter. Everywhere I looked... ancient and magnificently crafted stone architecture... cobbled streets... and students in university blazers... kilts... "coats/capes of many colours"... heading every-which-way it seemed. "I" was engulfed in a sea of new sounds... smells and faces... adrift from my usual surroundings... in a strange world (for "ME")... a world lying in description... somewhere between Fantasyland... and Harry Potter!

Purely "Magical".... in every sense of the word!

"I" toured about... purely exploring... feeling... seeing... smelling... never worried about destination...or GPS location. Much like hunter-gatherer societies... I "walked about"... discovering... uncovering resources that "I" could later count on for all of my needs. Restaurants... post office... art supply store... library (FREE Internet and email service)... water closets (toilets)... gift shops for souvenir purchases... bus stops and schedules to various destinations of interest...and most importantly... potential painting sites like the old fishing harbour.

All of these new influences left my head and my hands swimming in uncertainty... as "I" tried vainly to settle down to work. Just as the sudden eruption of bright rich fall colours seem to disorient my painting process... so did this strange new landscape and architectural plethora of exciting painting opportunities. Even the light and colour were very different because of the difference in geographical position. All of these changes presented the challenge of creating an entirely different "point of view"... or "perspective" for my Self... and "I" had to shift away from my usual process... and adjust to these changes... and with haste!

I found a convenient restaurant... ate and I retired to the quiet of my room and tried to digest what I had seen... to get a good night's rest and to formulate a plan to be followed on the next morning. Before turning in...I decided to get an early start and to head up the coast to Crail... a popular and picturesque fishing village located less than an hour by bus coach from St Andrew's.

The weather was perfect! Nearly cloudless skies... bright sunlight and cool temperatures made the trek enjoyable and productive. I managed to cram in many photo references and still managed to make the two nice painterly sketches... combining pen and ink with quickly applied watercolour washes that accompany this post. "I" was met with much enthusiasm and interest by both locals and tourists alike during the painting periods. It always seems that one meets the very best of people when one is painting on location. "I" personally enjoy the interaction with people "I" meet and feel little distraction by most. I consider I have a role to share my passion for painting with anyone who shows genuine interest. "I" also believe that knowledge is meant to be communicated... used and to be shared - not to be withheld for personal betterment alone. That's the belief that "I" work under - choices, "I" guess!

In closing Part One... "I" encountered my first real need to "shift perspectives"... while on the flight travelling to Scotland. Having left Toronto on a 5:30 pm flight... we had passed over Quebec and Labrador... heading on our flight path over Iceland just as the sun was setting on the horizon. How strange "I" found it... that the sun seemed to halt its descent at the horizon... and for the next couple of hours... it was again rising... with absolutely no period of night in between! What does such a phenomenon do to one's "perspective? Shifted it for sure! Within three short hours that perspective would be shifted yet again... by the new world "I" found my Self parachuted into... and with the very same degree of disorientation.

Stay tuned for Part Two... which will further describe yet more "shifts in perspective"... with the celebration of Allison's Convocation at St Andrew's College-my real reason for the trip to Scotland!

Creating... and adhering to a painting process-Part Three

I have discussed my palette, kit and set up procedures in the previous two posts, so this post will cover how I approach and carry out a painting project. I paint on numerous surface materials ranging from canvas duck, linen to solid surfaces to include masonite, MDF board and birch panel. I work on a range of differently sized formats to include 5x7"... 8x10"... 10x12"...11x14"... 12x16"... 14x18"...16x20"...20x24"... 24x30"... 30x36"... 36x48"... 48x60" and on occasion triptychs which are composed of a combination of three of these other formats.

I work outdoors mainly on 5x7"...10x12"...16x20"..20x24 inch and 30x36" formats. I do not feel at all uncomfortable with larger sized pieces on location...provided that weather conditions are favourable... that the subject deserves a larger format and that it excites my interest. I lay in with a single larger flat brush...one inch variety usually....working the whole area of the canvas randomly... until the entire canvas surface is covered.If I am employing a "colour massing" approach...I squint at the subject through my eyelids and apply a broad area of colour using large strokes which are close to the value I "see". However, I do not push to find the most accurate value... that comes later in the session after the entire canvas is covered. I work quickly...trying to find "the Flow" as I will refer to it... a state reached where you are working intuitively... searching... seeking out patterns...and creating gestural passages as opposed to details.At the end of this "fleshing out" focus...I step back, or even go for a short walk to get away from the "path" I am thinking about. When I return to the project... I feel refreshed and start looking for new areas to focus on... to add "specifics"... which include stronger areas of colour... vertical and diagonal lines... value corrections... anything that might contribute a stronger statement. This is especially true in focusing on the main subject in the painting... where the darkest darks and lightest lights should converge to create the highest visual interest for the viewer.

When I am satisfied that I have successfully absorbed and arranged the essence of my subject, I can choose to end the session at this point and use my digital camera to record a useful reference photo to "fine tune" the piece to an ending in the studio...away from the actual subject. Or if time (and my energy level) permits... I can push forward to completion right on location. Both situations do occur frequently and do produce equally good results. Often, I will pull out an 8x10" or 5x7" panel and quickly attack a nearby subject I might have noticed during the session...or on my "stroll" at the mid point. I never worry about creating a "masterpiece" with this effort... I treat it as...my "run-for-the-sun"....stealing time at the end of the day... an opportunity to take home yet another "Idea"...which can be developed further in the studio...or even be returned to at a later date...a "memo" to my Self.

This is but one strategy or appraoach that I employ to work successfully in the field. I regularly use other approaches and create what I call "mental gymnastics"... to refresh my enthusiasm and to avoid systematic and predictable conclusions...all dead ends in the creative process. No learning can occur...when the end is predictable...or defined. I will describe some of these "alternate routes" I regularly include in my own painting journey... in upcoming posts. Stay tuned!

Until then.... Good painting... to ALL!