A Snowy Hike
Good morning (or afternoon, depending on where you are and what time
zone you're in! I am flattered to see email addresses from outside the
states), and thank you for taking the time to read this note about my
painting and art in general. Sometimes these notes will be quite short,
and sometimes a bit long. In this note I'll be begin with how I got
started in oil painting.
I have always had an artistic bent, dabbling in water colors in college
years. While pastor of the First Baptist Church of Dalton, GA, I became
interested in glassblowing, and for a decade or so enjoyed creating
everything from leaping deer to dogwood blossoms to turtles with
walking sticks in glass (yep, I made glass ships, too.) Finally I
realized that glass items will break, and most do!
So, about 1990 I revived my interest in painting in oils. Aside from
helpful advice from Memphis artist Marilyn Wannamaker, I am self taught
as an artist. However, prints of one of my paintings--"Swiss
Solitude"-- earned about three thousand dollars, which was donated to a
theological seminary in Switzerland. Being self taught meant I needed
to study the masters, both in the past, and those of the present time.
If you want to see some of the works of those who inspire me, do a web
search on artists Richard Schmidt, Morgam Weistling, and John Howard
Sanden among others. In later notes I'll talk more about these and
other artists. Richard Schmidt has influenced me through his videos and
writings, especially his book ALLA PRIMA II. If you are itching to try
your hand at oil painting, see this book.
But before I wrap up this note, let's take a look at "Snowy Walk to
Flattop Mountain Tower." This is a painting I recently completed. In
it, as in all paintings, I try to remember the four rules of good
painting: drawing, color, value, and edges. The drawing of the scene
must be accurate; the colors should harmonize; the values (the shade of
light or darkness of the color or hue) must be right, and whether the
edges of the components need to be sharp or soft or even lost in
certain areas.
The first photo shows the drawing. I tried to arrange the composition
of the painting to advantage. The actual focus of the painting is the
trail which leads the viewer into the painting. After the eye follows
the trail, it is directed to the base of the trees, and then upward.
The second photo shows how I tried different ideas; here we see the
beginning of an idea of a sunlit scene, in the glow on the right side.
IMG_1093
In the third photo I am working back and forth with values, hues, and
edges. It is, no doubt, a losing battle to adequately portray the misty
icing God puts on tree branches on a glorious winter morning!
Snowy hike to Flattop Mtn Tower
Snowy hike to Flattop Mtn Tower
Now the story behind this painting. Three miles or so south of our home
and of Blowing Rock, a traveler on the Blue Ridge Parkway comes to the
Cone Manor. This mansion was built by Moses Cone, the "Corduroy King"
of the late 19th century. Cone had extensive textile holdings in North
Carolina and built his summer mansion with its nearly fifty
outbuildings such as a bowling alley, school, etc. in the mountains
above Blowing Rock.
It is said that Cone had three thousand apple trees planted, winning
all kinds of honors in that field. The estate also has twenty-five
miles of carriage trails, which provided entertainment for guests
ranging from vice-presidents to senators to art critics such as
Gertrude Stein. Moses's sisters, Dr. Claribel and Miss Etta Cone, were
art collectors who used some of their family's textile fortune to amass
a premier collection of modern art. Their friend Gertrude Stein once
visited Flat Top Manor. The artist Henri Matisse, another friend, was
sent apples as a gift from the Cones that came from the estate
property. The Cone Art Collection, with its extensive collection of
Matisse and other works, is today housed in a special wing of the
Baltimore Museum of Art.
From the Parkway going south, you can see the carriage trail heading up
to Flattop Mountain and its tower. The scene of the painting is at the
first turn of the trail. And I might add, the 5.2 mile round trip hike
up to the Flattop tower is a great hike. The views of both Boone and
Blowing Rock are fantastic!
Next month I want to share unusual stories about a couple of my
paintings. In the meantime, don't forget that an original work--from me
or any other artist--makes a great gift for a special occasion. Feel
free to give me comments, and do mention my website to friends and
encourage them to sign up for this newsletter!
Have a great day,
Earl Davis
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