The SUn Came Up Slowly

The Sun Came Up Slowly

"The Sun Came Up Slowly" - oil on linen, 11 x 14 x 1. Ready to hang. Available here and at Artfinder.

The sun came up slowly, taking its own sweet time, doing the job right. It bathed the world in soft pastels, in rose and soft yellow and rich brown. It warmed the ground, the leaves, the grass. It rolled into the sky, almost timidly, and looked down on itself, smiling into the chuckles of the spring. The Wind Blows Free by Chad Oliver.

I'm missing the sun here in the midst of a days-long atmospheric river.

It's grand in the studio, where skylights and big windows let a soft glow of daylight in on paint and painter. But out and about, in galoshes and raincoats and layers of gloves and mittens, the sun is sorely missed.

Today's quote, from the ending of a long lost generational ship sci-fi short story from 1957 (read the entire story here at Archive.Org) grabbed me and plunked me into sunlight and warmth and a respite from the rain.

And so, though here in the studio I'm still exploring galaxies and worlds beyond, a momentary dive into portraiture and wistfulness seemed like just the thing. She's a sweet spirit. And she's got her eye on a spaceman emerging on a canvas across the room...:)

About the art: beginning with a linen canvas and white gesso. Using an notanized photograph as a jumping off point and gently sketching a portrait with colored pencil. Limiting myself to a color palette from a random floral painting in oils that I found online (turning it upside down to focus on the color inspiration, not the image) I placed light washes of darks with a rubber wedge, leaving lights for last. Blending with brushes, fingers and paper towels. Slowly adding thicker layers, then finishing her garb with a palette knife.