Animating the Landscape - Van Gogh

Of all of Van Gogh's work, I find his landscapes most inspiring. Each part of the view is animated, as if it has a spirit unto itself. The sky, the trees, shrubs, and fields move in colorful, linear patterns.

I'm particularly fond of this drawing, which is one of his later landscape compositions.





Van Gogh, Olive Trees in a Mountain Landscape, 1889

Efference



Julie Devine, Efference, 2012
Oil on Canvas, 20"x22"



I'm happy with how this one turned out. I like the radial aspect of the form and how it breaks up as it moves into the sky. I also like the golden light falling on some of the branches and the contrast of this warm light against the cooler light of the sky. And, I like the brushwork.

For me, this painting has an optimistic, auspicious feeling.


Three Landscapes

Here are three paintings from the long weekend, each playing with the shapes and patterning of Pacific Northwest canopies. All were begun with a transparent earth red underpainting and wipeout, and all made the most of a cool red / warm green complement palette.

Julie Devine, November Woods, 2012

Julie Devine, Canopy II, 2012

 

 

Julie Devine, Canopy III, 2012

Diaspora

Julie Devine, Diaspora, 2012
Oil on Canvas, 48" x 24"

For this painting, I used source photographs taken of the forest canopy in Discovery Park, Seattle. The colors are exaggerated.

Diaspora is layered on top of a painting I did a while back - an abstract master copy of  The Abduction of Ganymede. It's a fantastic feeling to cover an earlier work that has served its purpose, and to let little pieces of it guide design decisions in the new painting. In a few places, the earlier painting is still visible.

Bloom

Julie Devine, Bloom I, 2012
Oil on Canvas, 20" x 22"

Joan Mitchell at the SAM

This morning I paid a visit to the Seattle Art Museum, knowing I needed to take another look at some of Joan Mitchell's work on display. Like so many of her paintings, this one is untitled, and I find it particularly gorgeous and haunting.

Joan Michell, Untitled, 1953-54
Oil on Canvas

Here's another painting by Mitchell. This one is titled Hemlock. The title give one more of a foothold. I love both of these paintings for the feeling of movement, the expression of intellect, and the visceral sense of the oil paint.



Joan Mitchell, Hemlock, 1956
Oil on Canvas

Canopy Abstract

Julie Devine, Canopy I, 2012
Oil on Canvas, 24" x 23"

Fields and Mark Making

I've been thinking a lot about visual fields and ways of communication patterns in nature using repeated and overlapping marks. Here are two artists whose paintings I've been looking at.



Gloria Tamerre Petyarre, Bush Yam Dreaming

Mark Tobey, Calligraphy in White

September Sky

Julie Devine, September Sky, 2012
40" x 50"

Marsh Walk in Violet

Julie Devine, Marsh Walk in Violet, 2012
Oil on Canvas, 27" x 28"

I've been thinking more about the circle as a compositional form, and how to take advantage of it in square, or near-square format. In this one, I see both the circle and the "S" forms.

Kubota Slope



Julie Devine, Kubota Slope, 2012
Oil on Canvas, 22" x 15"

In this painting, I used two complimentary colors: violet and yellow ochre. All of the colors are mixed from these two, as well as white.

Kubota Spring

Julie Devine, Kubota Spring, 2012
Oil on Canvas, 48" x 24"




Sparkler

Julie Devine, Sparkler, 2012
Oil on Canvas, 26" x 27"

Myrtle Edwards Park

Julie Devine, Myrtle Edwards Park, Seattle, 2012
Oil on Canvas, 18' x 22"

Plein Air at Discovery Park

Julie Devine, June, 2012
Oil on board, 8"x 8"

Julie Devine, June Field, 2012
Oil on board, 8"x 8"

Painting With Eva

My seven-year-old daughter, Eva,  joined my in my studio to try some oil painting. Up until now, she's worked only in watercolor and gouache.  We shared a large glass palette and mixed colors with our palette knives, then painted objects from observation. Eva painted a collection of cacti, and I painted a pot with dried poppies.

Eva Devine, Cactus Still Life, 2012
Oil on Board, 12" x 9"

Julie Devine, Still Life with Poppies, 2012
Oil on Board, 12" x 9"

Kubota Sky

Julie Devine, Kubota Sky, 2012
Oil on Canvas, 22" x 20"

Botanical at the Locks

Last Saturday, I went out to the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks in Ballard, looking for something I'd like to paint. This was my first plein air outing of the year and the weather was beautiful and sunny. I set up my easel in a less-traveled part of the park and began to paint.

I've been experimenting with using palette knives for painting rather than brushes. For this trip, I decided not to bring a brush. This simplified things, because with palette knife painting I don't need solvents or medium. Just oil paint, knives, and a big roll of paper towels.

A few minutes into painting, and I was ecstatic. Feeling the fresh air, the sunshine, the smells of the garden, and the salt water mixing with the smell of oil paint. Delicious!

Here's what came out of that sunny morning outdoors (with a few additions back in the studio).

Julie Devine, Botanical, Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, 2012
Oil on Boad, 14" x 11"

Still Life Collage

Julie Devine, Still Life, 2012
Sumi ink on paper collage, 14" x 11"

Train Table

Juilie Devine, Train Table, 2012
Oil on Canvas

Observational Collage

In a recent workshop with Kimberly Trowbridge, we assembled a collage in monochromatic values while working from observation. Getting started with this process was slow-going as it required a shift in visual translation and construction strategy. Here is the result of my efforts.




Julie Devine, Nude Collage, 2012
Sumi Ink on Paper



In an open studio the next day, I repeated this process, but decided to work more loosely, using odd scraps from the day before and tearing inked paper into general masses rather than cutting the paper into specific shapes. I also layered pieces more intuitively, placing blankets of shadow and light that extended beyond edges of forms.

Julie Devine, Wrapped, 2012
Sumi Ink on Paper

Something about the shapes and torn edges gives this collage a Japanese feel, I think. And on that note, I'll close with an image of one of my favorite Pacific Northwest artists and master of collage, Paul Horiuchi. His work is just beautiful.




Paul Horiuchi, Untitled, 1959



Oil Sketches - Winter Nudes

Julie Devine, Nude Oil Study
Oil on Canvas, 2012

Julie Devine, Nude Oil Study II
Oil on Canvas, 2012