lara

This month's challenge at Gauche Alchemy is vibrant technicolor. I pulled out my paints, and threw some used up tubes into a box i keep the used up paint. Looking at the color palette in the box of old tubes, it drew to my mind the mountains in North Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina. Whenever i visit the smokies i can just feel my whole being let go and relax.

Some of the most magical times in these mountains are the sunsets and sunrises. And the different colors and textures at those times of day.


(taken in Tennessee in the Cherokee Forest)

So, with this piece, I wanted to pay homage to some of these textures, layers and colors and my memories of them. I put the tubes into a sun pattern and instead of adhesive used nails to attached them to the wood canvas. The nails also help represent the rustic ambiance throughout that area. On top of the tubes, to pull them together, i swirled some paint and thread.



To me this represents the smoky part ;)


(from Saluda, North Carolina)

Underneath the sun i built up layers and layers of acrylic paint, wax, crackle medium and other bits. The canvas I used is one that I've had for a couple of years. I had put it under other projects i was working on at different times and used it to wipe off old paint and different texture mediums - nothing goes to waste in my studio!





As you see, I tried drawing some shapes to define some abstract mountains. This photo I took in Tennessee near Gatlinburg in the spring:

And this photo is from N. Carolina on White Mountain in the early days of Autumn.


I did add some additional color to the palette, even though there was already much there from previous projects. But wanted to put in ALL the technicolors Mother Nature paints our world with on this piece.