Speaking of Art Blog

Showing Off, pastel, 8x10"

This is my latest pastel painting, of Chellberg farm at the Indiana Dunes National Park. In the fall when the trees that line the woodland edge of the farm reach their peak, they glow with brilliant color.  Since I live within a few miles of the farm, I like to go check things out as the trees inch near that golden autumn moment.  I took my reference photo for this painting 4 years ago. On that day, not only were the trees showing off, but the clouds in the sky were getting in the act as well.  As I snapped the picture, I remember thinking, “Holy cow, what a painting this will be!”

So why did I wait 4 years before finally painting this stunning fall scene?  Well, I simply did not feel any frames I had until now would sufficiently surround this scene and do it justice.  You see, I frame my own artwork and I love finding just the right frame for each piece I finish that I feel is frame worthy.  Often, I look for the frame first and then cut my pastel paper size accordingly. In other words, I work backwards. I don’t have a ton of frames, but I have enough in various standard sizes that I can usually scout out what might look best by setting my digital reference photo displayed on my iPad in the corner of some frames. But each time I did that with my Chellberg farm photo, nothing inspired me. I decided again and again to wait for a better frame.

Finally last week I found a used frame at a resale venue. It took my breath away. Yes, it’s only 8x10”, which is smaller than I usually work, but what a beauty it is. It needed some cleaning up and some wood stain to cover up a few minor dings, but I saw its potential immediately. When I got home with it, I started sifting through my very best reference photos in a digital file.  That’s when my Chellberg farm image came up on the screen.  Perfect! But was I ready to tackle those complicated clouds? They looked hard to create.  I would need to be motivated to keep going when the going would get tough with them.  That’s when I realized that BOTH the frame and the scene gave me the inspiration I needed. One without the other would not have inspired me as much. They deserved each other.

Some people think artists find their inspiration to begin a painting by dreaming up an idea in their head with nothing out in the world to spark their artistic fire. Perhaps that is true sometimes, but for me, most times it’s a photo I take or a painting I see in an art magazine or art gallery or a combination of colors on an advertisement sign or a gracefully arching tree branch in the woods or any number of other things I view outside myself, that will inspire me. Suddenly my mind is off and running with all kinds of possibilities. But with this little frame that I spotted in a second-hand sale, I only came up with one possibility – a charming farm with a white barn, festive fall trees bursting with color, and beautiful rolling patterned clouds that defy description. I believe that this little resale frame was worth the 4-year wait to frame this painting. I started with the ending, the frame, and worked my way back to the beginning, creating this 8x10” painting. Sometimes working backwards is best.