Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Fresh off the easel ...

Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light for my path.


Psalm 119:105


Reflection ©2009 Karen Mathison Schmidt
11 x 14 x 1 • acrylic on 1" cradled Gessobord
sides painted dark umber
SOLD • private collection, Point Richmond, California

(see yesterday’s post for work-in-progress photos)

A while back I went with a photog friend of mine to the expansive gardens at Norton Art Gallery here in Shreveport, to take pictures and generally enjoy a perfect spring morning in these beautiful surroundings. When I rounded a curve in the path I was walking, I spotted this young woman seated on the steps near a decorative wrought iron bench beside the reflecting pool. Although there were quite a few people in the gardens that day - a couple of young women getting their bridal photos made, moms with kids, people exercise walking - she had found a secluded spot and was totally engrossed in her book, seemingly oblivious to all the rest of us.

When I was first planning the composition, I cropped this square, but then I decided that a tall orientation would better show the majesty of the garden surrounding this simple figure. The Japanese maple on the right, the girl’s top and her reflection in the pool gave me more opportunities to use my new favorite paint color, Old Holland New Masters Naphthol Red Medium ... yum!

Here are some close-up details:








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