Walden

I spent a few hours at Walden on Sunday.  I try to avoid going there on weekends because of the tourists but I just really wanted to go.  I did explore Emerson's Cliff Path which was really nice and quiet.  Then I made my way down to the spot where I intended to paint.  I had painted there two years ago when the water was much high due to the floods so this time found myself sitting on a rock past an unusual, memorable tree that was once submerged in water.

As usual the first few paintings were no good at all.  It always takes some time to warm up.  

Then I thought of Cezanne for some reason and was able to paint this: 

Maybe thinking of Cezanne helped.  It wasn't that I was consciously trying to paint like him but afterwards I thought the colors and some of the foliage reminded me of his work.  Here is an example of a Cezanne painting in the style that I was thinking of:

New Work in Progress

Often I feel really tired and sluggish all day while I do work/chores or anything at all.  Then suddenly at 9pm I feel very energized and awake.  That lasts for a few hours before I fall asleep.  It's during that time that I make my best creative work.  

I thought my latest endeavor seemed disconnected or different from my other work, but whenever I go back and look at my work I realize that it is all very recognizably mine.  

3rd Session Rachel

2nd Session on Rachel

THIS is freedom!

Coming along nicely! 

2nd Painting Finished

Although I prefer this blog to be largely visual, I'd just like to point out something important about my artistic process for those of you who might be interested.  

The Walden Pond sketches and photos that are a few posts back weren't so great.  However, the process of going there, meditating, observing, and creating was necessary to inspire many of the branches/forest in this painting.  If you have a good eye you will even be able to see something very specific that I stole from Walden as well as just the general impression of those woods (color, shape, mood, atmosphere, etc).  I did not go back and look at the sketches or photos to help me with this painting. The visions of my most recent experience at Walden simply made their way into this painting via my memory, some conscious and others not.  

Additionally,  I know all of the models from this series.  I have relationships with them outside of the art studio.  Some of them I know very, very well, some I have deep spiritual connections with and others more complex relationships with.  The fact that I have these varied relationships with the models has a profound affect on how they are expressed in the paintings.  

Each model is also lead through a guided meditation on their sacred space in Nature.  They choose their own pose through this guidance and without further suggestion from me.  

Rachel is next on Saturday.  So far all yogi(ni)s.  Stay tuned and check out the photos from the final painting I have done of Mickey.  

I think this is done....

Although I'm not too big on symbolism....I know that the model identifies his spirit animal to be the wolf...couldn't help myself

Second in Figure/Nature Series

Detail of the face

 mmmmmmmm love this stuff

Well, there are some nipple issues but so far so good!

It's Happening

The beginning of my new series....SO EXCITED.  Let's see how humans and nature reconcile with each other.

Walden Thanksgiving

Made my quarterly pilgrimage to Walden.  Paintings and Photos below:

COD

I went to Cape Cod.....

The beach set-up

Some inside joke drawn inside

Oil

Oil

Oil

Oil

Mixed media

Mixed Media