New Work - The Lake Bridge

            

           Choosing a painting subject   can be a tedious  task.  Even though the universe has given artists inconceivable number of  potential  subjects, picking one sometimes, can still be a painful process. And for some artists ( who do not mind using photos as reference) photos  are quite handy and convenient. They provide  a convenient vehicle to work with and usually are  a good starting point. For what is a picture but usually a  creative expression in itself , a flat representation  of the artist/photographer’s  creative mind/eyes ( or how he chooses to see the subject)  and the physical subject in front of him. 

           Personally, I do not mind working with pictures. Those are my pictures anyway. My own product. As I snap a lot pictures for future reference, only a handful of them make it to the canvas or paper. In fact, very few, only the ones that I find interesting and unique.

          A photo should have some elements in it that give it character to inspire an artist to turn it into a painting. For example (as shown in the painting), the shape of rocks or how it is arranged to form a stone bridge going off somewhere. No big deal, but somehow it lends character to the picture/painting. Ultimately, photos are great reference, but the artist’s hands and mind give the painting its finished look.

          This painting is of  a Lake in Belair National Park in Adelaide. A less-than-an- hour drive by car from the CBD. Nice to explore in summer. It must be freezing cold there by now. 

"The Lake Bridge" 2011 , Soft pastels on Watercolour paper,   Size 38 cm x 57 cm

          

The Lake Bridge

Calm water blue as the sky

Little waves wiggling like a  lady shy

Little ducks merrily swimming without a cry

Flapping their  little wings attempting to fly

Rocks feel hard on the feet

As they make their way through the heat

Forming into a bridge like a feat

Leading someone into the fairies’ fete