Wednesday, October 04, 2006

Contemplation





















Contemplation

Oil on canvas
8x8inches

This is a new work in a series of small figurative works. This was based on a sketch I made of this old guy sitting on a wall. The scene just had a great composition and needed little from me to enhance the mood of the scene. I have no idea what the man was thinking of when I sketched him, but I was excited about the idea that he was contemplating his life. Compositionally I added the 'rose-tinted' sky to increase to the feel I was after.

Cheers

Ryan

4 comments:

Ron Guthrie said...

Hi Ryan,
I meant to comment on this one yesterday but forgot. This is a great painting...probably the best one I've seen done by you. The only thing I find distracting is the cloudwork...too busy in my opinion. Keeps distracting the eye away from the wonderful work of the man, alone in contemplation. I think if you were to redo those clouds you'd have one hell of a painting here.
Ron

Ryan Evans said...

Hi Ron

Thanks again for stopping by!

Yeah this is my favourite too. I've had a couple of offers to take it off my my hands but I just can't part with it!!

In saying 'too busy' is it the brushwork of colours you find distracting?
In doing the piece I deliberately beefed the sky up to add to the mood of the piece. The heavy strokes (light impastoed)were designed to suggest they were weighing on him and the colour deliberately 'rose-tinted' again for mood.
Its great to hear comments like this so I can grow as an artist

Ryan

Ron Guthrie said...

Hi Ryan,
I meant the brushwork just looked too busy too me. The colors are perfect. I understand now what you were saying with your brushwrok. Naturally without talking to you in a gallery about it I wouldn't sense all of that. I'm more visual and not more on the intelectual side of painting...just a personal thing I guess.
If I see this man here looking down I know he's engrossed in thoughts which we all would be at a place like this. If he is staring out to see it could be for the view or thoughts too....I think any scene of a solitary figure like this just suggests a person in deep thought about life, love or whatever. I don't think there is much of a need to "weigh" that in to a piece such as this.
In doing this piece I would keep all the energy of the painting on the person and keep all else simple and supporting him. The message in a piece like this is very evident I think.

Again Ryan, this is in my opinion your best piece I've ever seen. A subject conveying a scene all of us go through in life. Those types of paintings are very emotional and hit the nerves in us all. Excellent work here.
Ron

Ron Guthrie said...

Oops...sorry for all the typos...I'll do better next time.
Ron