Dormant - plein air

This painting reflects the zeitgeist and pushes at the edges of what we expect from plein air painting. This year in our backyard I placed a cement planter on top of a rock near the garden fence. I composed the work to feel solid, heavy, insular and quiet. I wanted the piece not to just remind us of dormancy but to feel silent, still and patient with the anticipation of the fecundity to come. At 30x30" it is majestically solitary. There is a bit of sorrow in it. I sat wrapped in a wool blanket while I painted; it was so cold out. Wool blankets are so quiet. I painted it over a couple of days and the light was unique to this time of year. I have been interested in looking down and portraying things about life scale at arms distance...this painting when viewed in person positions the audience to tip their head and look "down" to feel the quiet weight. I loved this compressed palette...of rich chromatic greys. My aesthetic is trained from direct observation. That being said, at the top of the painting you can detect an arc... it abstracts the work while bringing the reality of the emotion to life as the circle contained within the square. You have my deep respect.