Some day we shall look back on this dark era of agriculture
and shake our heads.
How could we have ever believed
that it was a good idea to grow our food with poisons?
— Jane Goodall
Here is my beloved mountain of Rigaud, from another point of view. I have drawn this mountain many times and I have included the links to my previous posts… in summer, fall, & winter and I am planning on painting it this spring as this is the only season that is missing. Usually I paint “live” meaning that I am in front of the subject, most of the time sitting in my car. Today I decided to use a reference photograph instead of painting it live in my kitchen-studio and as you can see, the “optical consistency” of my painting is off. There is a very good, lengthy and theoretical explanation for this on the Handprint Blog. What it means is that my background watercolour paints are too diluted in the spruce near the road and the curb of the arms are too intense in comparison. This is what happens when you do not paint “live” in my point of view… your paintings are a bit off. There is a very good explanation by John Ruskin, who had an exhibit at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa last year that was outstanding.
“The one thing that you have to learn — the one power truly called that of painting, is to lay on any coloured substance, whatever its consistency may be, at once, of the correct tint you want, in the exact form you want, and in the exact quantity you want. That is painting.” — John Ruskin.
Voici la montagne de Rigaud que j’aime tant. Je l’ai peinte plusieurs fois, l’été, l’automne et l’hiver et ce printemps je vais y aller car c’est la seule saison qui me manque. La plupart du temps je peins “live” ce qui veut dire que je suis en avant de mon sujet, habituellement assise dans mon char. Mais aujourd’hui j’ai pris une photo et je l’ai peinte de mon studio-cuisine pendant la soirée… et ma peinture est “off”. Le densité de mes peintures n’est pas correcte et il y a une bonne explication, qui est longue et théorique sur le site de Handprint.
Paper: Travelogue Handbook 8″ x 8″
Colours: Hensa Medium, Raw Sienna, Raw Umber, Alizarin Crimson & French Ultramarine
Fountain Pen: Platinum Desk Pen EF DP1000AB
Ink: Noodlers’ Lexington Grey
Reference Photograph Location: Rigaud, Québec, Canada
Painting to see : Peindre pour voir 