During our first six months near Chicago, I was numb. I did not like the area. The landscapes did not inspire me one bit, in sharp contrast to the glorious views at almost every turn in New England.So, for six months, I didn't paint. It was scary.
Then we moved to condos with some trees by a brook, at the end of our driveway. It wasn't a great view, being at the opposite end from where we lived. (Our condo had a view of a fence separating us from some rather depressed apartments, or I could look into the townhouse across from us and see our male neighbor in elegant lady's underwear... but that's another story. *grin*)
Despite my blue mood and lack of inspiration, I decided that I really had to paint again. So I set up my easel and my front door, and tried to narrow my vision so the bit of grass and trees at the end of the driveway seemed inspiring.
To be honest, the light seemed flat. The trees were more uniform than what result from rugged New England winters. I had to use all of the tricks in the book, Capturing Radiant Color in Oils, to see anything interesting to paint.
But it worked. And I painted. And I felt as if I'd accomplished a lot, when this painting was completed.
I was pleased and surprised at the variety of colors in this painting, and the maturity of style that I'd retained after all my NH paintings. This is actually just a small part of a 10"x20" canvas, which is too big for my scanner.
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All original text, photos, and art are © 2001, Aisling D'Art.