Summer
This recently completed painting is the third in a series of seasonal backyard views at our house. All of the views are sunlit in the early morning. Comparing summer, winter and autumn shows the obvious changes in vegetation, but also variation in the angle of the sun (and shadows) through the year. Nearly ten years have passed between the painting of the winter view and the summer view. New growth and loss of trees are seen when comparing the paintings.
Ed, I love how you’ve handled the light in this painting. It’s exactly what I look for when out with the camera. This is a gorgeous painting and captures the light and feel perfectly.
Luscious That’s the word for this one. And it makes me feel like this is a beautiful place of repose and peace and tranquility. Lovely shades of green, deep shadows, and bright highlights nice range of value. Bravo.
Your photo realistic technique has captured a moment in time that looks so familiar to me, Though it is your backyard, it suggests many backyards in Upstate New York with distinct vegetation and light. This is the kind of work I like to see hung in a gallery where comparisons are easily made between the same scene in different seasons, lights, or years. Daily it seems things change so slowly, but adding up the days and years, the growth and decay become obvious. It reminds me of Ansel Adams talking about the “decisive moment” – that even if you return to a spot a few minutes later, it is likely that light and vegetation have significantly changed – and of course, returning months or years later can dramatically affect light patterns and textures. As a single painting, you’ve succeeded in capturing the sentiment I often feel about the perfect summer day: “What is so rare as a day in June” – where you feel a gentle breeze, low humidity, and just enough sun…but for me, this work begs to been seen in visual conversations between your paintings in every season/year. I hope soon you have the opportunity to exhibit a few together!
I second all the above observations — and I would be very interested to see the other seasons that you have captured!
Thank you all for your positive comments. I added a slide show for the previous two paintings and a bonus for Jan…. a thought that comes to me when I’m fishing a river, but it’s really true about almost everything in this world when you look closely.
You have drawn a velvet carpet for us to enter, while the light dances all round us. I feel its inviting magic -the freedom I feel when I am lost in nature. Thank you.
Ed, you never cease to amaze me with your dextrous detailing of landscape features.
While I’m more partial to the water scenes, you have reimagined the exciting offers a backyard can bring.
Light, color and texture. Congrats on achieving this level of work.
Very thorough presentation of your yard. A comparison of all seasons would be nice. I too appreciate the changes in solar shadows.
Ed, this is such a beautiful representation of an archetypal summer day!