I love this quote! Primarily because so many people who are not familiar with art, still see artists and art making as something of a hobby, or a lesser profession. It is often viewed as something that anyone can do because there is no real work or ‘intellectual’ requirement involve. The idea of creativity and its complexity is either downplayed or dismissed entirely. This perception of creativity is so far from the true. With this quote, Einstein counters that misconception and if Einstein said it, then it must be true!

This week for the first time in months if not years, I spent eight consecutive hours working in the studio. Usually, I only have short blocks of time to devote to my art practice. It was a glorious, productive and FUN day! Prior to studio day, I’ve been gessoing a “24 x 48” panel which I sanded down for a smooth painting surface. My skyscapes have been doing well at Orbit Art Space, the gallery that represents my work in Fruit, CO. I also sold a few smaller skyscapes at Spark gallery in Denver, where I had my last exhibition titled “Wide Open Spaces”. With both these success in mind, I decided to paint a larger version of a 6”x 6” skyscape I sold in 2023.

Using the smaller paintings as my studies, I printed another reference image and expanded it into a rectangular format similar in shape to my panel. I did a rough sketch in watercolor pencils on the panel so I could map out the placement of my clouds. Unlike my strategy this summer with the plein air paintings where I painted the negative space first, here I started with the positive space. I mixed the different values I saw in the clouds and got those down first. Using my understanding of color theory and mixing neutrals I created the darker shades combining various amounts of scarlet red (a red orange) and Ultramarine blue. To knock down the darkness I slowly added a bit of Titanium white to the mix. With the shadow shapes down, next I applied various hues of orange (the complimentary color to blue). I held off on adding the highlights until I painted in the rest of the sky.

Palisade sunsets are amazing, especially during that one brief moment when the blue transitions to the yellow orange of sunset, also known as the Alpine Glow! It can be challenging to paint if you are unfamiliar with color theory, too much of one color and you end up with mud, too much of a pure hue and you have yourself a Fauve painting right out of Art History! I had a lot of practice recreating this transition with my “Wide Open Spaces” series, so I knew exactly how to proceed. It also helped that I’ve been studying and teaching color theory for several years at university! Once I had the sky in, I stood back and studied the painting. As part of my assessment, I also take pictures of my paintings in progress. When I did this, I realized the shadows in the clouds were too dark in value! After a moment of “oh shit”, I decide the only thing to do was to wipe out the shadows and start over! This is why, as an artist, you never want to make your painting precious. At any given moment you might have to ‘destroy’ the painting. It is a heck of a lot easier to do that if it is NOT precious!

So, with most of the shadow wiped off, I started again. The dark color had stained the surface of the panel. I used this to my advantage, and it became the underpainting for the warmer, lighter oranges. With the new colors down, I dry brushed the edges to soften the transition from shadows to midtones. With that done, I stood back again, did another assessment and determined the value scale was much better and captured the warm glow of the clouds more accurately. Fauvism can wait for another day!

With that potential disaster averted, I added my highlights and continued to soften edges. The final painting step was to lighten up the blue of the sky just a wee bit and stand back yet again. After sitting and studying it for a while, I signed it. Once the painting dries, I’m going to put a coat of Galkyd lite on it to give it a bit of a glossy finish which should illuminate the hues even more. The title of the work is “Alpine Glow” and this last step will really pop the colors!

This is the first time I’ve completed a painting of this size in a single day! Because I’d already painted a smaller version of this image and I’d been plein air painting this summer, both practices factored into the rapid completion of this painting. The more I practice, the better I get and the faster I create! I can get my ideas and strategies formulated and down quickly because I have both the confidence and skill set to do so. Usually, I only have short blocks of time to work in the studio or outside in the case of plein air painting, but I still do it. No matter how much time I have or ‘don’t have’, I still show up and do the work.

It was an Einstein kind of day, productive and fun!

“Creativity is Intelligence Having Fun”

Making a Rosary

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree