What I did on my DU vacation....

[Richard Steele]

The last 2 days, I've been "tweaking" this, but 90%
of it was done Tuesday while DU was down.

Acrylic on canvas, 16x20.

Just wanted to share. :hi:

[Midlodemocrat]

1. That's beautiful. You're very talented!

[Richard Steele]

4. Aw, now I'm blushing.

:blush:

I don't know if I'm really "talented" so much as "persistent";
Sometimes the "tweaking" process stretches to months or years
before I decide a work is finished.

A 3-day quickie like this one is a nice change of pace for me!

[WritingIsMyReligion]

5. True talent is persistence.

I am learning that now--the bud that blooms carefully but firmly into a rose will remain as such for far longer than the bud that explodes into life and soon fades away.

[wildhorses]

2. now that was good use of down time

:loveya:

[Richard Steele]

7. If DU was down more often, I'd probably get a lot more work done!

This place is addictive sometimes.

[BarenakedLady]

3. I like it

very much

:thumbsup:

[Richard Steele]

8. Thank you, BNL!. nm

[Joe Fields]

6. sweet!

[Richard Steele]

9. Thank you Joe! nm

[CaliforniaPeggy]

10. My dear dicksteele!

Oh, I like this!

Really stunning.......a great composition....

And I love your use of color too...

Very nice...

Thanks for sharing!

:applause: :applause:

[Richard Steele]

12. Thank you, CaliforniaPeggy! That really isn't a good photo...

...(there's a single yellow "fruit" in that tree that's hard to see here)
but I decided that the colors came through well enough
for everyone to get the gist of it. Glad you like it! :blush:

[GenDem]

11. Very, very nice

I love it!
:hi:

[Richard Steele]

13. Thanks, GenDem! nm

[GenDem]

14. I paint in acrylics, too

I painted this purple weed a couple of days ago.

[BarenakedLady]

15. That's beautiful!

:loveya:

[GenDem]

19. Thanks BNL

Have you been painting? I loved your dog portrait in colored pencil!
:pals:

[Richard Steele]

17. That's very nice- the backround really makes it work for me.

Did you model that after a photo, or is it an original concept?

Just an FYI, though- you know we can see your actual name on that, right?
Some people like to be cautious about that sort of thing, so I figured
I'd better mention it.

[GenDem]

18. My own self critique --

that the dark space, between the weathered boards, where the weed is growing cuts the composition in half. I'm sure that a real critic would tell me that.

Yeah, I used a photo reference that a photographer friend gave me.

I never thought about my signature. I really don't care, but maybe I should. :scared:

Can I ask you -- what does your painting represent?

[Richard Steele]

20. Yes, it cuts the BACKROUND in half, but I think that's a great way to go.

You've got a well-balanced "triangular" composition there....
except the "triangle" is actually 3-d, and almost flat to
the viewers plane of vision. The plant is one point, the two
halves of the backround are the other two, and that large black
area drives the concept home by saying, "empty space in the middle".

That black strip isn't just a nice way to make the plant
stand out- it's actually helping to create the feeling of
"depth" on a subconscious level. I likes it a lot!:thumbsup:

And I feel kinda "D'OH!" for forgetting to mention
the title of my painting in my OP.

It's "Genesis, Chapter 3, Verse 24 (IV)":
So he drove out the man;
and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims,
and a flaming sword which turned every way,
to keep the way of the tree of life.
It's number "IV" because I've done this theme alot;
this is the 4th time as a standalone piece.
They're evolving as they go; each one builds upon the strongest
features of the last.

I'm not particularly "Christian", but as a "Surrealist" I find
that the King James Bible is a great source of material.

Wasn't it Cecile B. DeMille who once said, "Give me any two pages
of the Bible, and I'll give you a profitable motion picture"?
I feel much the same way- a lot of my stuff is based on bible verses.

[lost-in-nj]

16. I love it

The colors are beautiful

Thanks!!!



lost

[Richard Steele]

21. Thanks! This is actually the 4th time I've done this theme....

...and I've realized that the colors are what make it work well.

If I get those big blocks of contrasting color JUSSSST right,
that gives it a mood that all the detail and shading in the
world can't accomplish. None of them seem too terribly "surreal"
on their own, but if I can get their boundaries to contrast
in an almost-but-not-quite-JARRING way, the piece suddenly
has some serious ENERGY that's kinda hard to put your finger on.

I've already started laying out #5, and it's going to be all
about the color. A seriously MINIMALIST take on the theme-
just strips and blocks of solid color.

I wanna see just how far I can reduce this to it's basic
elements while maintaning the MOOD, and still keeping it apparent
that it's a garden surounded by a wall with sky above.
(And a gatekeeper that you don't want to mess with, of course!)