Van Gogh's 'Undergrowth with Two Figures', an Inspiring Work of Art.

                    Undergrowth with Figure at Sawyer Point C.T. Rasmuss, Oil (June 12, 2013).


I set this composition according to Van Gogh's 'Undergrowth with Two Figures' (June 1890), created in Auvers-sur-Oise, France.

I don't live in France and have never been, and I've never saw undergrowth such as in Van Gogh's painting...so when I was out on the Riverfront scouting for a good place to paint for the day, I was surprised to notice what was available to me on the Ohio River.  I've studied this painting every time I go to the Cincinnati Art Museum..and I absolutely love it(featured below)..

                       Undergrowth with Two Figures  Vincent Van Gogh, oil (June 1890).

My painting is a mix of an intriguing 'figure' (a brilliant white venue overhang) surrounded by 'undergrowth', I also replaced the trash cans with tall outdoor vases w/ flowers.  My favorite part as well as in Van Gogh's masterpiece, is the large tree smack dab in the middle right of the work; I saw this in his as a broken rule and  an obstacle he set to overcome..which I believe sets up the ultimate view of the two figures, and otherwise would be bland and ineffective if it weren't for the purposeful obstacle!

Enjoy!!!

Huang Gongwang's 'Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains' (Part 1of 2).

So I enjoy meeting with an artist's group called, Creativa where there's always a plethora of mediums and backgrounds from which the artist operate; we've meet every 2nd Saturday for the last 5 years here in Cincinnati, OH. great times I might add!!

Monthly dilemma: what to do?  Like any other piece I attempt, I'm lucky in that it usually comes to me quick, then I just need to figure which direction to go in; again most like any other time, but this is a live performance which I've incorporated over the last few times we've met.  Here's my process for tonight; (short and quick) if your interested...

note: some variations in steps/order for each time I prepare, as artists are hopefully always changing their ways!!


Step 1: MEDIUM-  Which will be India Ink tonight.

Step 2: SET UP-     I will be using what I have available, which is a large sheet of heavy watercolor paper
                               tonight.


Step 3: COMPOSITION-
                               
                                Tonight I decided for the 1st time to pay homage to the originators of this  
                                medium; and  I'm now in the hunt to learn more about one of these masters from                             
                                the East.


Step 4: SKETCH- Once I find what strikes me, I'll learn more about their work, and quickly sketch it.

Step 5: CHOOSE MUSIC- I usually choose 3-4 songs totaling under 10-12 minutes, theme's important.

Step 6: EXECUTE!!!

Step 7: SIT BACK AND ENJOY THE REST OF THE NIGHT AND ARTISTS AT WORK!!!

Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains (first half)  Huang Gongwang (1350).

Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains" is one of the few surviving works by the painter Huang Gongwang in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368).  He's considered a member of the "four great masters of the Yuan." 

Huang spent his last years in the Fuchun Mountains near Hangzhou and completed this painting in 1350.

After Sketching I ran into bit of a problem..

This MASTERPIECE requires much more than just a quick sketch I believe, and I wouldn't be giving it's due or the artist his respect if I didn't study this very intricate and complex composition much more before executing.  It took an attempt at sketching before realizing this and rather than forcing it; I will now move to plan B, and render a photo I took last night after leaving a disappointing art opening.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Stretching Driftwood B/W Painting from Photograph by C.T. Rasmuss

"Stretching Driftwood" in acrylic, 2005; by C.T. Rasmussen.

A good way to handle desert photographs, is perhaps to start in black and white, void of any color, then start by rendering it through a drawing, then paint via gray scale.  I find this sort of effort, a great way to be able to understand the composition in horizon; a meeting between earth and sky...

C.T. Rasmuss