xxxxx, 48 x 48 inches, acrylic on canvas. ©2008 Deidre Adams.
Over the last several months, I had been busy making some new paintings at school, in my Painting III class. The first two were on display in the school library for a couple of months, so I didn’t have anything to post about. I got everything home at the end of the semester and have now finally gotten around to photographing the work. I’ll put them all up in the next couple of posts.
The is the first one. The assignment was to do an “objective landscape,” which means paint more or less what you see, with limited artistic license. We were supposed to go around and photograph an urban scene rather than some pastoral meadow or the like. “Yes indeed,” said I. “Right up my alley!” Although I did go out and take a lot of new photos, I settled on this one that I had taken on an earlier road trip. This is a grain elevator in Sterling, Colorado. For the moment, I am stymied on what to call it, hence the “xxxx.” I welcome suggestions, as I’m not feeling particularly creative in the titling department at the moment.
Here’s the source photo I was working from:
Sterling, Colorado. ©2007 Deidre Adams
I was drawn by the warm late-afternoon light on the left sides of the buildings contrasting with the coolness of the facing sides. As you can see, I did take some liberties with it. My initial inclination was to leave out the power lines to make it cleaner, but my painting instructor convinced me to keep them in, which was great advice. It would have been super dull without them. I discovered a way of working with the paint in a sort of scumbling method that gave me a layering of color that I really like. I can envision doing a whole series of these from different photos.
Deidre, your instructor was absolutely right. Before I read your explanation the first thing I thought was “Yes!” because the power lines DRAW THE VIEWER INTO THE PAINTING.
This was something I struggled with, to obliterate telephone lines and wires and lampposts from my photographs. Then, one day in Mexico (where there are still row after row of phone lines stacked impossibly on top of each other), I thought “screw it; I’m going to *incorporate* them into my composition.” Ever since then, it was as though a giant burden had been lifted from my shoulders.
Now, onto the phrase “objective.” For painting, yes: This is how you visually apprehended the scene. There is a cult of photographers, however, who worship at the altar of “corrected perspective,” as achieved with a 4×5 or 8×10 view camera. They hector me periodically with their e-mails asking why I didn’t correct the perspective on such-and-such a print, taken from a low angle.
My reply is always, “this IS the correct perspective, as the human eye — without the aid of tilts, swings, and bellows — sees it.”
If the “corrected perspective” people were to man a space shuttle mission, they’d come back with beautiful photographs of the Earth as a perfectly flat square.
The great multi-media artist Adrienne Harmon was the source of the title of my cement granaries project, “Concrete Cathedrals.” May I take a liberty, and call this a “Corrugated Castle”? There is one in the town right outside of Rochester, called Stewartville, and it is right next to the post office where I pick up my mail. I have blown about 45 exposures on it in all sorts of lighting situations. As I don’t have time to travel right now, for my Rolleiflex and me, it’s always Groundhog Day in Stewartville. 🙁
P.S.: Your painted version is an improvement on the original. Your excision of just a few elements really streamlines it, and I hardly noticed the subtle editing until I compared the two.
It has a nice Winslow Homer feel to it.
Great painting. The composition has rhythm and balance. Acrylics are fine for trying out layers within a short time, aren’t they? They are also a very good base for an oil finish which becomes very “sensuous”. Ah, and perspective. Painters have ignored it for ages. Were they unable to use it? Nope. They probably did not think it was important. The ancient cultures have left a high standard of civilisation. Pompeji was an almost modern town. There are some murals with perspective scenes or sketches, but I haven’t seen any correct one.
You do white exceedingly well in all media it seems. Wonderful piece.
Although I’m wondering how a grain elevator is part of an urban scene. ha.
One of the unexpected bonuses I am finding in blogging is having intelligent and considered comments on my posts. You are all making me think! (But then I’m stuck like a deer in the headlights trying to think up a suitable response.)
Robert, you are a wealth of information and I hope you start your blog soon so I can steal your ideas. I like the “Corrugated Castle” title, but it applies more to the photo since I left out that little detail in the painting. (I could say that I thought it improved matters, but it’s equally true that I was too lazy to paint all those extra straight lines in.) I laughed out loud at the idea of the flat square Earth. Talk about human perception going full circle!
Eva, how did you know I was agonizing about the perspective that I didn’t get just right? I had started out talking about that in the post, but then decided that self-deprecation, while infinitely satisfying to my own sense of inadequacy, was probably just going to be boring to anyone who had to read about it.
Lisa, I did wonder about that when I submitted this photo for approval before going ahead with the painting. But the instructor never questioned it, so off I went without another thought. In my own defense, insofar as Sterling could be considered an urban area, the grain elevators are pretty much right in the middle of the town instead of out on the outskirts.
I think the painting is very good; it has a direct, confident quality that I like very much. Edward Hopper-ish, with different subject matter.
Re titles, I like straightforward ones — like Grain Elevator, Sterling, Colorado. I don’t think it’s necessary to layer any additional meaning onto it for the viewer via the title.
As always, your creativity and consistent work ethic are inspiring. Thanks, Deidre!
Love the sensation of looking up. I’m getting a little Charles Sheeler vibe.