This weekend, I did a workshop for the Piedmont Pastel Society called “Intimacy and Awesomeness: Exploring Different Aspects of the Landscape With Soft Pastels.” We had a great time over the three days! The images, above, show the demo (left) on the last day of the workshop, and the practice painting (right) that I did the night before.
One of the things I emphasize in the workshops is that I am not going for “accuracy,” per se. My intention when I paint a scene is to respond to the scene, not simply depict it.
On any given day, my response will be different. I’m okay with that. The key, for me, is to be true to how I’m feeling about the scene as I paint it. I’ve painted from this particular reference photo seven times now and I’ve drawn it in graphite once, so I know the shapes and contours of this little trickle of a waterfall very well. I also know where some of the risks are–tricky bits that I as an artist have to convey so that the viewer is not confused or baffled by “what is that??” kinds of questions.
Neither of these studies is a complete painting, but you can see how I reinterpreted certain rocks, certain bits of the water flow, where that dark tree trunk stands, how it leans, etc.
It’s all play! If I keep playing with it, I know I’ll come up with a version I like that says “Cedar Mill Falls, on that particular day” to me.
Mark Ivan Cole - exploring the inner and outer worlds 