Monday, August 29, 2011

Monhegan Coast


Monhegan Coast
Original oil painting 16x20"
by Susan Roux

Hurricane Irene passed, tourist are leaving and school is beginning. As summer winds down and fall approaches, it triggers a change in routine. With regards to art, for me it means a different mindset. I kind of lollygag along during the summer months. It's not to say that I don't work hard, rather nothing seems to matter. There aren't any pressing deadlines to meet and it becomes more a time of play or experimenting. I do whatever I want. Paint what I want. Nothing is created with a specific destination in mind and I'm free to take as long on a painting as I choose.

It's a lot like a day at the beach. You know, sit around all day. Take a stroll, pick up a few rocks or shells. Drag your toes in the sand. Watch the waves roll in time after time trying desperately to remember the range of beautiful colors in it's endless dance to a frothy break.

But vacation's over and it's time to buckle down and get serious again.

Do you morph like this in autumn too? I've already begun changing. Papers are rising on my desk. Printed sheets of tasks I want to do, things I want to look into. I've already searched out a bunch of galleries I'd like to approach and a serious pace to prepare packets will soon follow. This is also the time of year I begin seriously painting new work for next year's gallery season.

I spent time taking lots of photos this summer and hope that I have ample references to carry me to next year. Between what I paint on my own time and all my classes, it takes a large amount of good photos. Which leads me to the painting posted, Monhegan Coast.

This is a painting I did with one class. We pulled out our palette knives. Yes I said palette knives! I never do that. To mix paint, yes. But never to apply paint to canvas. So in it I jumped, all the while trying to direct my students without knowing what I was doing. I thought it was the perfect tool for the rugged coast that covered most of our scene.

It turned out to be very freeing. Jags of paint left tiny shadows which created additional cracks in the rocks. Some students who get caught up in too much detail found themselves playing in paint. It was a great exercise for everyone. I suspect I'll be picking up the palette knife to lay down paint again soon.

The ocean was interesting to do. It has a very different appearance when looking at it from high above as oppose to being at the beach. Students wanted to make breaking waves as they know them from the shore. But the shapes flatten out and all that is left is change in values and color.

This was a fun painting to do. I took lots of coast photos on Monhegan. It's hard not to. So perhaps another rugged coast painting will show up before I know it. I remember the day class arrived and saw this scene. No one thought they could paint it. I'm happy to report that they all amazed themselves. I had some real beginner students in it too and they left with something they were very proud of. Great job class!

So now that summer's ending... what kind of changes does that mean for you?

22 comments:

  1. These scenes are as peaceful and tranquil as everything else you paint, Susan!
    Living in a warm country as we do, I become totally paralized in winter! South Africans feel sorry for themselves and would prefer to hibernate through our 3 colder months. So come September, our spring, one has such a guilty conscience that you actually order heaps of blank canvasses and mean to use them!

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  2. This is beautiful, Susan. I love autumn and I'm looking forward to the beautiful colors of nature and possibly a job change as well.
    Carol B. (anonymous again!)

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  3. Lovely--very Monhegan! I got to see "your girls" at Gallery 5 at the Art Walk on Friday. Nice to see them in person. They're great. Yes, transition time....but I feel I just go from being very busy to very, very busy.

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  4. Lovely painting and the detailed views are so nice to see as well. Yes,the minute labor day and a few days of rain arrive, I'm into fall. As always, another thought provoking post Susan.

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  5. outstanding paintings susan, your palette knife work is so inspiring!! such a beautiful place..i'm so glad you made it through as well, thank you for you good wishes. and your description of trees barfing leaves all over is simply perfect!! the treetops swaying so violently inspires both awe and quite enough mom nature for a bit!

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  6. Such a beautiful scene and I too would have had my camera snapping away. Your summer sounds so liberating. I don't have deadlines with my art, unless I participate in a challenge, so I'm not too familiar with that aspect of being an artist (so to speak, in my case). I do love the autumn though and am so excited as it comes ever closer. Your palette knife painting is just superb!

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  7. I saw this as a thumbnail and instantly recognized the scene as Monhegan. I just love it there. Sounds like the workshop was great and I love that you just jumped into the palette knife thing fearlessly. You knew you could do it and you did! I love that.

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  8. Susan, your painting is lovely and as you were writing about summer, your words created another beautiful painting for our minds to enjoy. You're good!

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  9. Beautiful painting Susan! I'd like to be able to look down on the sea from a vantage point like that.

    It sounds like you have a busy fall planned! Best of luck with approaching the new galleries you've selected.

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  10. I the shades of lavender in this work it gives it such a wonderful feeling.

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  11. I love this piece...you must have had a balls-to-the-wall attitude and it turned out beautifully. Saw my first wooly worm today and first branch of red leaves...FALL has always been the beginning of my new year!

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  12. Beautiful description of your summer. Love the painting too. Thanks for sharing.

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  13. You mentioning playing and yet you continue to produce such wonderful art. Another mind blowing blog.

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  14. Susan I love your description of morphing into fall. Living most of my life in the midwest and east coast the crispness in the air and the leaves turning always signaled autumn. Yesterday in the heat of this Florida end of summer I saw a caterpillar soon to morph into a monarch butterfly. A clear reminder of change and "if she can do it I better get things done".
    Ah the Mohegan coast, would love to see it someday. Beautiful painting especially the singular flowers set against the blue of the water below.

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  15. Beautiful! I want to step right into the scene! So lovely!

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  16. Your coastal paintings are so refreshing

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  17. Great painting! Glad to see you picking up that palette knife in this way! I'm back in school so, homework, homework, homework! Both are studio classes this semester.

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  18. I love all your work, Susan, but this is especially beautiful - so soft and serene.

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  19. Beautiful painting, Susan!! Wonderful blues in the water and sky.

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  20. I've been here and less than a couple of weeks ago at that! In fact, I just spent the day working on a painting of Monhegan.
    Lovely foray into the palette knife technique.

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  21. Beautiful painting - lovely palette and am so impressed with your success with the knife! Another inspiring post, Susan!

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  22. Beautiful painting - and I miss my lake swims already...

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