“Look at everything as though you were seeing it for the first or last time.” Betty Smith
Yes, it’s the Kaikoura coast again ― same view, same reference photograph ― but every time I paint it, I see something different. I’ll post a photograph of the final painting just as soon as I’m ready to leave it alone.
“One does not discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time.” André Gide
Click on the images for a clearer view.
P.S. If the landscape looks a little familiar, that may be because I painted the same photograph last month (The View).
“A drawing is simply a line going for a walk.” Paul Klee
“You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.” Jack London
I’ve had a bit of fun using Photoshop’s ‘smudge’ and ‘brush’ tools to transform a slightly blurry photograph of a little kingfisher (see below) into a digital painting. It’s an interesting way of working because the photograph provides the colour palette and basic composition, but you still have to know what you’re doing to turn it into a painting (if you have you ever tried using those artistic filters, you will know they’re very frustrating and no substitute for being able to draw). And the best thing about painting in the digital world: no mess and no need to clean up afterwards.
‘The View’ is a little something I made for this year’s Christmas market at Sumner.* The painting is of our beautiful Kaikoura coastline as seen from the Port Hills in Christchurch. I found a $5 frame at a recycling depot, removed the seriously ugly dried flower art that was in it, and painted a landscape on canvas to complement the mahogany-coloured wood (see photograph below). It was such a fun project, I may have to go in search of more frames that need rescuing.
*I’ll be selling my art cards and a few of my smaller paintings at the Sumner Market in Christchurch this coming Sunday 13th and also Sunday 20th December, 10 am – 2 pm.
Anna Cull ~ Art & Music 