My last post was about painting from memory. The painting above left is a memory painting; the one on the right was painted from a reference photo. Is one method of working more valid than the other? I'm excited about what happens to a scene that has been processed through my memory. This morning, I found an appropriate quote (funny how that happens).
"I never succeed in painting scenes, however beautiful, immediately upon returning from them. I must wait for time to draw a veil over the common details."
-Thomas Cole
Barbara, what a wonderful, perfectly appropriate quote. I must save that one. I agree, I don't think one way is "better" than the other, but rather it depends, I think, on how the artist wishes to interpret the scene. More and more I'm drifting towards an illusion in my landscape pieces as it makes me feel that I can put more of "me" into the work. Your stunning work is so much an inspiration for all of us!
ReplyDeleteHi Carol, thanks for your thoughts. In the past, at a gallery reception when viewing my work with a prospective client and they ask where the scene is from, it felt better to be able to state a location. In the future, I'll be happy to identify it as memory.
ReplyDeleteAwesome!
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