Fall Abstract

This one is going to my parents as a gift.

Julie Devine, Fall Abstract, 2013
Oil on Canvas, 15" x 30"




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