I retired 18 months ago. I now work seriously nearly every day in my studio. I work in two mediums: woven newspaper and acrylic paints..
What I’ve noticed is that I tend to prefer painting during the winter months when the light in the desert is somewhat subdued. I prefer working with newspaper in the summer when the sun is directly overhead and at it’s strongest.
It’s now November. Day Light Saving Time has ended. (I often wonder what’s being done with all that light being saved and what is it used for.) These days, the sun is low on the horizon and rises earlier and sets earlier. The quality of the winter light in the Palm Springs desert is amazing. Colors are richer and more intense in the winter sun.
The summer sun bleaches color from the landscape, both the natural and man made landscape. I love the heat of summer but the sunlight is harsh.
Last winter, I completed 15 color-field paintings inspired by the sun and weather, both of which influence my moods.
By April (and the change back to Day Light Saving Time) the sun is once again bleaching color from the landscape. I relish being out in the sun rather than painting it. And my attention turns to newspaper where the colors are more subdued.
In this medium, I’m more interested in the interactions of language in the newsprint. I choose the type print and colors using them as I find them. This summer, I completed over 60 woven newspaper works.
This morning I was up just before sunrise mesmerized by the quality of light as the sun rose illuminating the garden plants one by one.
It’s time to pack away the newspapers and pull out canvas and paint.
Please take time to visit my website at www.JerryLHanson.com. Take a look at my artwork. Contact me if you want to buy one of my pieces or if you have any questions about a specific piece. My contact information is on my website or you can leave a comment on this blog site for me to contact you (include your contact info!). You can e-mail me at JeryL@JerryLHanson.com or you can telephone me on my studio phone 760-992-3157. You can call me. I won’t mind; I’m hanging out at the gallery with nothing to do. That’s totally untrue. I’m working in the studio.
Thank you for listening,
Jerry L. Hanson
Posts
Saw your tweet about this post. I used to live in Arizona and know what you mean about the light in the desert. Powerful, but way too flat and bleached at midday!
ReplyDelete