Painting On The Fly
June 12, 2012
I’m now home from about six weeks of travel. The journey took me to Toronto, Ontario, Vancouver, British Columbia, Ferrara, Italy, and a wonderful ten days in Arkansas. Most of the journey involved exhibitions with my paintings but I painted lots while travelling as well.
Painting on the fly makes for some fun logistics. Finding art supplies is often an adventure. And managing canvases on a journey back to my studio is a primary need. Painting like this also means working in varying climatic conditions: the impact of humidity on the impact on drying time of water based paint is interesting.
Being in new locations brings insights and experiences that inevitably transcribe to the canvas. Sunlight, and shadows, vary so much from place to place. And the trees are different: where I live the trees are mostly poplars and their variations. In Arkansas I never saw an aspen. And what would Italy be without the cypress. Here’s an interesting link to images of many, many trees of the world to share just a little of what exists when one travels.
While I paint lots of trees, there are often other subjects within the theme. So reflect on how buildings differ in places like Toronto, Vancouver, Italy and Arkansas. In Italy I was especially drawn to people.
To paint when I travel means I may not see two dozen tourist highlights over seven days: it does mean I’ve engaged the places I’ve seen in very intimate ways.
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Jim Pescott is an international contemporary artist who lives and creates in Calgary, Alberta. His studio-gallery is available to view by appointment: please call 403-870-0591 or email paintwithdots@shaw.ca. Jim’s website is http://www.jimpescott.com
Colours For Tree Trunks
March 23, 2012
Painting often involves pushing into something without fully knowing why. Blind response perhaps. Thoughts from somewhere, being prone to listening in a given moment and things transpire.
While painting tree trunks, the colour red connected with me. Not any red: a really bright red. I wasn’t sure but I listened and things evolved.
Is there a colour you would paint the tree trunks? I’m interested. There is no right or wrong answer. Something will suggest itself and it is about allowing this to have expression. What colour would you paint the tree trunks if you were painting them?
Would you paint them the colour that reaches out to you? Would you paint them that colour knowing that others would see?
Hoping you will.
In A Yellow Wood
March 13, 2012
Love to experience of a place like this whether during a hike or on a path within my thoughts. Colours, lights and smells rolled up in sensations as I pass through, carefully, not to disturb the essense of things.
People write about experiences like this. I paint them.
American poet, Robert Frost, wrote “two roads diverge in a yellow wood” and somehow touches me as I paint. The spectre and foreshadowing all dwell within the trees as he continues reflecting.
“And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden back.“
Wondering about trees in your world and what transpires for you.
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Jim Pescott is an international contemporary artist who lives and works in Calgary Alberta. To contact Jim directly about his paintings, or a project you think about, please phone 403-870-0591 or email him at paintwithdots@shaw.ca. His website is http://www.jimpescott.com
If You Step On A Crack . . .
February 13, 2012
Remember the children’s rhyme about sidewalks, “If you step on a crack . . .”?
Recently, I overheard two youngsters share about stepping on shadows to see if the tree would howl. They were walking on a snowy trail under a bright sunny midday sky. Each shadow they approached was a gleeful opportunity to test what they knew must be true.
Did they really hear the tree howl?
This Calgary artist has painted many winter landscapes filled with light and shadows but I’ve never heard the trees howl. But next time I’m out painting in Fish Creek Provincial Park I will listen closely just to be sure.
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Jim Pescott is an international contemporary artist who lives and works in Calgary, Alberta. To contact Jim directly about his paintings, or a project you think about, please phone 403-870-0591 or email him at paintwithdots@shaw.ca His website is http://www.jimpescott.com
“Evening Shadows” Share With Calgary Artist
October 24, 2011
After a wonderful week in Montreal at the Quebec 2011 art exhibition, it was great to get back to the studio in Calgary.
“Evening Shadows” was the first canvas waiting by the easel: it wanted “yellow” and this happened with thin, wet, sloppy dots. Next the canvas wanted “trees”: in response, trees were identified with darker dots where trees needed to be. When the canvas wanted shadows, shadows happened one dot at a time.
A super time in the studio.
Jim Pescott
Paintings In Dots
www.jimpescott.com
403-870-0591
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