The Macro and the Micro of Oil Painting

I recently completed a large painting of a group of California Washington Palms that grow in an oasis near Palms Springs, CA These palms (Washingtonia filifera) often wear a long skirt and tend to clump around a desert spring, or wherever water may be found close to the surface. These palms are near the mouth of Indian Canyon, where native Americans once harvested them for fruit.

Here is a sweeping video with close up shots that present the painting's color, texture, and brush strokes up close. I want to share how the painting looks when you stand ten feet back, and how it looks when you are close enough to press your nose against the paint. (Something I have been known to do in some of the finest museums in the world.) Why? Because I am fascinated by how the grand masters can use paint to create an illusion of reality, yet also play around with the paint as they do so, and transform what they see into abstract color, shape, and movement. So I guess, as you watch this video I want you to also experience the concrete nature of my subject, yet never forget you are – in truth – only looking at paint.

(Can't see this video? Click here...)

"Five Palms", Indian Canyon, near Palm Springs CA
48 x 72 inches, oil on linen
2019

I invite you to enlarge the video and crank up the sound. But before pressing play, confirm you are connected to WiFi or have an unlimited cell plan because this video is large.
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Workshops!... Workshops!... Workshops!...

It's that time of year when some of you look for Summer and Fall workshops. Click here to learn about my upcoming classes with detailed downloadable info. But don't delay, most classes are about half-full as of this posting.