Ever Painted Palms?

One of the more outstanding natural features of Thailand is the lush vegetation. The various palm trees are the most prominent example. Seeing the number and variety here was really enjoyable. There seems to be something very quieting about them.

Every day I made mental notes about their characteristics and how they differed from the evergreen and deciduous trees with which I am more familiar. The trunks are similar while the formation of the leaves is completely different. There was an abundance of coconut palms, which have some of the biggest fronds. They looked like enormous feathers and, as I later learned, is how they are described. The question became, 'How are these painted?' What is the best way to capture the effect of individual leaflets, more often than not waving in the ocean breeze, against the blue sky keeping the painting alive and not overworked?

Without knowing all the answers ahead of time, I decided to get to work with the painting knife. It seemed that this would be the best tool for accomplishing what I had in mind. This turned out to be a really fun approach to the painting!




'Two Palms', 18x14, Oil on Canvas




Next: News from Shanghai

More Painting from Thailand and the Surprise Painting Visitors

When I first arrived at the OK Bungalows, I checked out the area for painting possibilities. Immediately, I saw lots of opportunities for landscapes and seascapes. From inside my bungalow, I also saw some possibilities for working inside which would allow me to work in the event the rainy season started early in Thailand. What most caught my eye indoors was a white lawn chair that had been left by the door. It looked perfect for posing a model.

Over a few weeks, I kept to my goal of painting only landscapes. My mind kept going back to the chair and the notion of painting a model there. As a general rule, I prefer to entertain the notion and see what develops. As the days passed, I thought many times of finding a model but none appeared, but the simplicity of the chair against a simple background remained. Simplicity in painting is one area I have been exploring on this trip and the question began to occur, is it possible to create a painting that has interest even if the subject was only this chair? It was time to find out. I experimented with painting the chair over a period of several days. Here is the result:




Often I will ask for comments from others to hear what they see in my work. The two people I asked both had the same comment: something is missing. This was good news, since it was exactly what I wanted to convey. It also confirmed the title I had i mind for the piece - 'Waiting for the Model.'

During the days I worked on this painting, I had some unexpected visitors. I had stepped away for a coffee break and returned twenty minutes later to get back to painting. I sat down and turned to get more paint from the palette. This is what I saw:




There were a lot of ants in these two square inches and this same population density of Thai red ants extended across the whole palette, and the sides, and the lid, and onto the table. Apparently they have a fondness for the walnut oil that is in the some of the paint. Hmmm... what to do? Keep painting. Unfortunately for these some of these creatures, they are now part of several of my paintings. Traveling does have its
surprises!



Next: Ever Painted Palms?