Palette Knife Painting # 3

"...Ringing In the New, Osh., Ck., ON"

Palette Knife Oil / Panel

10" x 12"

  The first snow of 2011 gave my painting spot a fresh blanket of

snow. This is the same subject and stretch of creek as 

"Ringing Out the Old..," - (Palette Knife Painting # 2) 

 Seen from a different angle and with fresh snow. 

Like all things being made new!  The new snow and

  soft light of the day made for some delicate colour shifts, 

 beautiful nuances of

   emerald green,

    to turquoise blues, 

   to violets. 

What a great way to start the New Year!

Detail One at 100 %

Painting with palette knife allows for a variety in technique.

 Note that the snow is painted very broadly with "belly"

 or the face of the knife, it was "troweled" on, yet the slender stocks

  of grass, painted with the same 1" knife,

 but using the knife's edge.

The partially snow covered leaves (upper right) are suggested

  using the tip of the knife. 

  

Detail Two at 100 %

 On its own, this looks like an abstract painting. The positive

  power of suggestion is seen and felt here with the myriad

 of small branches and leaves. Suggested also are the

slender cedar bows weighted with snow.

Detail Three at 100 %

Swiftly moving water as it travels over the small rocks

and pebbles of the shallow sections of creek.

The "toe" or tip of the

    knife is used here to create the "dappled" effect.   

 You can see through the water to the bottom of the creek,

the reflection of the tree and the reflected

colours of neighbouring objects - all at the same time!

The stocks of grass here have not been painted

   as the ones in Detail One have been,

     but have been scraped out using the tip of the knife. 

Only one simple instrument - a

    one inch knife - yet great versatility is possible. But more

importantly, the use of only one instrument allows for

 greater spontaneity which births the emotive.

The emotive

 is what makes

  

  for great art!