Tone Poem II

"Tone Poem II"
8" x 10"
Oil on canvas panel

I've found a reward in waking early. It's no longer difficult to roll out of bed knowing the visual delights that await me in the rural settings near my village. 

Tonalist landscapes are typically luscious and luminous with evocative atmospheric effects featuring hazy backgrounds. The palette is minimal, characterized by warm hues of brown, soft greens gauzy yellows and muted greys.  

Tonalist painters seem to prefer a state of implicit cognition and psychological experiences over reality.  
Your presence is appreciated.
Carol 

Tone Poem

"Tone Poem" 
8" x 10" 
Oil on canvas panel   
In the Midwest, where I live, mornings in May are often hazy. I was eager to capture this effect on canvas. While I painted I felt connected... to what, I wasn't sure.  In the discussion group where my early oil landscapes were critiqued, I was referred to as a Tonalist.

The Tonalist style emphasizes atmosphere by using a color's middle values instead of high contrast, resulting in an understated effect.  Subject matter is never entirely apparent but rather an intriguing visual poem cloaked in a vaporous veil of emotionalism.  


The definition will be continued tomorrow. 


Welcome to my world today. 
Carol

Frosted Bananas

"Frosted Bananas"
6" x 6"
Oil on gessoed hardboard
They sat cuddled in this cluster fresh from the produce department; without bruises, blemishes, brown spots or stickers. Every one was a different color, in a different position, yet the same.  I couldn't resist.  


Amazingly, to me at least, this was about a fifteen minute painting.  I managed to get the shadows in, the shapes painted and the background colors down using very few strokes.
Then I took my mop brush and softened the whole thing. My signature is the only hard edged thing on the board.  Right—wrong?  Who knows?  It's an exercise and I enjoyed doing it.

Thanks for bearing with me.
Carol

Dailypaintworks.com
Dailypainters.com
My DPW Gallery
Brushstrokes@comcast.net

Plein Air Wisconsin

"Plein Air Wisconsin"
16" x 20"
Oil on canvas panel
It was earlier than I'm accustomed to being awake, as we drove north out of Illinois. The light was warm and the sky was hazy on the horizon. Clouds hadn't even decided what shapes they'd be for the day, at that hour.


Painting outdoors is a passion that reveals itself only when I'm doing it. The thought of dew, bugs, heat, humidity and sunburn line up in a pretty impressive list before each outing. I love it once I'm in it, but man, oh, man, I don't delight in adversity of outdoors versus my lovely studio.

Thank you for reading my rant.
Carol

DPW
My DPW Gallery
Brushstrokes@comcast.net