Red Progressions

Giclee print on heavy, archival paper with deckled borders on each side. From an original oil on canvas. Signed at bottom right and numbered at bottom left. Limited edition of 195 in each size with 15 artist proofs.

The artist's first desire when beginning this oil was to create a forest scene that didn't have a high finish. That is, the brushstrokes and even the physical surface of the oil would be rough. Forests are not even, polished places and he wanted this large oil to convey a bit of that experience. In the first session when he applied all the variations of reds and oranges, it wasn't satisfactory.

The plan was to put in a lot of complexity right away, creating variables in color but sticking to the idea of a single sweep of red trees and make it believable. Elliott did that and was underwhelmed. Peeking above the trees was an outline of far blue hills and it was lacking as well. It was too predictable. Everyday is not a happy one in the studio, but he did step up and block in a 4 x 6 foot oil, a worthy accomplishment, so he left it at that. In the second session he came back fresh and simply thought about what the painting needed: contrast. Once the dark tree trunks went in, the painting came to life.

The background colors began to sing and suddenly the painting was calling out for improvements in a number of places. The artist drastically cut back the amount of the blue hill that was visible and in turn, it gave the trees more prominence.

Over the next few sessions, it was a pleasure to attend to those needs and take the oil to new places. A number of "mistakes" were made - attempts that hit a dead end, but those moves opened up new opportunities for other, better solutions. It all came down to making a good start and continuing forward in a way that would not diminish the power and spontaneity that existed at the beginning. The artist was committed to this single line of trees.