'SUMMER WOODS' ACCEPTED INTO JURIED COMPETITION 'CAROLINA'S GOT ART'

'Summer Woods' (Moses Cone State Park, NC)

36" x 44" / Acrylic on canvas / 2009

'Summer Woods' has been accepted into the Charlotte juried competition, 'Carolina's Got Art!'. Opening reception will be October 2nd, 6pm - 9pm at Atherton Mill. Exhibition dates are Oct. 2 - 30. The Judge is New York Art Critic Brice Brown. Click here for info.

'Summer Woods' is part of an ongoing series I began in 2008 that attempts to capture and explore the beauty and mystery that is the mountains of Western North Carolina. This particular painting shows an area of the hiking and horse back riding trail that is part of the Moses Cone State Park near Blowing Rock. There are over 20 miles of these trails that wind along the Park and they are called 'carriage trails' because originally they were used as 'roads' for horse-drawn carriages that transported people and goods.

For this particular image, during a day of hiking, I was able to capture through my photography that particular bend in the trail as it was gloriously bathed in the bright light of the mid-day sun. Then, using my photograph for reference only, I was able to manipulate the colors of the paint and emphasize the interplay of light and shadows to create a piece that is more expressionistic than realistic. Also, by using an undercoat of thick, uneven paint, I was able to bring out hints of texture that suggests the hardness of the woods, which makes for a nice contrast to the softness of the light and shadows.

My goal, through this painting, was to convey a bit of the solitude and sheer wonder that can be found in the deep mountains woods.

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