FALL STORM – HERBSTSTURM

Oil on Primed Fabric
33⅜ x 11½ x 1½ (inches)
February 2011

SOLD

About “Fall Storm”

“Fall Storm” was created on a cold and windy winter day. Most of my paintings are created by memory; this piece of art was directly inspired by the storm around my house in McKinney, Texas. Before I begin a painting, I have a color combination in mind or an idea, then I start, not knowing what it will be. As soon as the painting takes shape, the end product is determined.

The fall season is short and quick in Texas, the leaves change their colors over night and soon later the trees are naked. One week it could be still hot and temperature are in the 80s while the next one brings freeze and sometimes even snow.

While the storm around the house brought back all kinds of memories from all the places I have visited -including the wonders of an Indian Summer of Canada, long autumn strolls, bundled up in warm clothes, through a German forest, I felt the craving for color. Not daring to dream of a colorful spring beginning yet, it brought back the idea of the autumn colors.

I applied the oil paint in thick layers with a palette knife, blending the colors directly on the surface. I started with the colder colors blue and green towards white, working my way top to the middle in the same alignment. Then I turned the painting upside down and applied the warm colors from brown, orange, red and yellow meeting the white in the middle.

Looking at the painting as an entirety, you will see that the alignment goes into the same direction, top right to left bottom creating harmony and oneness. But if you look closely you will see that the peaks at the upper and lower painting change direction meeting in the middle to create that movement -this was created by turning the painting half way. To add some extra whirl and to elevate the wind chasing the leaves throughout the painting, I swiped the palette with light pressure through the painting from top to bottom.

“Fall Storm” was painted on primed fabric. The primer I use is made from natural ingredients: chalk, white pigments and hide glue. As a green artist, all ingredients are eco-friendly and home-made using traditional techniques. The frame is built from recycled wood and screwed on all four sides. The paint is made from natural pigments and linseed oil, the old, traditional way of mixing classic oil paint. With a palette knife, building up several layers from top to middle and bottom to middle, I combine the basic colors yellow, red and blue with white and some black.