Songs of Summer

Summer's Song,  10x10" Oil on gessoboard 

© Helen Read 

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Summer has many versions of song.  Sometimes, its the sounds of the summer birds in the sunshine or crickets in the night.  It might have base tones of frogs or the quite lap of water's edge.  But sometimes it isn't sound at all, its bright beautiful color.  It's the subtle change of color from sunlight to shadow. 
It is also the smell of warm earth or a gentle rain.  It's the dancing shapes of shadows on a sunlit path. 
Summer's song fills the senses. 

This impressionistic depiction of summer captures the warmth of bright light, the colors of prolific blooms, and the dance of shadows.  Abundance against a backdrop of evergreens.  Truly, I love summer!

Summer Garden Abundance - in progress

 A new painting just started!  After a visit to a beautiful garden area - and a number of photos taken of the multicolored pots of flowers in full bloom - I was inspired to get to work in my studio.  

I've started on 8x8" gesso board - using very light transparents to show the general shapes and placement of the composition. 

 

Adding in, now, some of the darker values to show more about shapes and shadows. 

 

Beginning to sculpt shapes with values behind and around the lighter shapes of the foreground 

 

Adding in local colors and finding some values within them.  

This painting is obviously still progressing.  A finished photo will come next....  But the process is always interesting to see how a painting starts and how it progresses. 

Summer Sunset

Evening Embers, 10x 8" oil on linen panel

©Helen Read 

Please visit my website to see this and other beautiful landscape paintings!

I have so many wonderful memories of summer sunsets, having grown up in the rural southwest!  Almost every evening huge, expansive skies that are painted with colors of rose, yellow, purple, blue ... sometimes even a streak of green!  Such beauty!  And a quietness as evening settles into the land.  This painting evokes that sense of evening approaching, while just the sounds of a distant bird call or the croak of a frog or the buzz of insects can be heard.  For me, I also think of the smells of sage and the earth - a dusty, dry smell of that region.  

If sunsets bring back lovely, home-like memories - this painting may be just the warm reminder of the beauty of evening for your home!  It comes with framing options -  unframed, or framed in a simple contemporary frame of solid wood - either in Black or Cherry. The frame is 3/4" from the front view and 1 3/8" on the sides. 

12 years ago.... summer of 2007

Hard to believe!   It was 12 years ago that I started this blog!  

At that time, I was committing myself to daily painting.  As an art teacher in a large public high school, I rarely had time (or energy) to create my own art... that just didn't seem right!  

So, I decided to MAKE TIME... to commit to making art... to make just a few marks each day, if that's all I could do.  Life was busy ~ I was a single parent, had teen aged kids, and worked full time.  When I wasn't teaching, I was continuing my education in my profession.  

But...I began my commitment anyway - and 12 years later, 100s of paintings later, I'm still here.  Still teaching art and still painting!  Commitments are funny things - they propel us into places we didn't think we'd be.  And by keeping myself accountable through my blog, I've continued to work!  

The 4 paintings above were small paintings from the summer of 2007 when I started my daily practice!  

* Now - my work and creative interests continue to grow.

* I send a monthly newsletter to several hundred people each month

* I've sold my work all over the world from Europe to Asia and throughout the US

* I have made wonderful acquaintances and friendships because of it 

* I've taught 100s of students and continue to do so! 

Commit Yourself!  It's worth the effort and discipline... the rewards are great!  

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