Thank you grandson Kevin Oliver for sharing your interesting photograph.
"Every cloud has a silver lining' is a saying of hopefulness symbolizing that life's dark clouds will pass. I have always fantasized that the expression "Silver lining" referred to clouds as being clothing to cover the landscape with a silver fabric lining. My imagination could picture clouds blown out into silken threads as they continue to be spun to cover the sky. Fantasizing clouds as recognizable things like dragons or fish is a pastime I have enjoyed since childhood.
My eyes are always surveying the sky for interesting clouds. When I see some that have striking qualities, I try to capture the ephemeral clouds with my I phone.
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| Pearlessence of sea shells |
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| Freckled flight |
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| Golden cauliflower |
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| Grosgrain ribbons |
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| Petticoat mist |
Al these photographs are finished pieces which I do not plan to copy in a painting. For now I acknowledge them as a way to familiarize myself with them. Even think about how I would paint clouds like them so when I am in the landscape and I see a passing formation, I remember how I could paint similar clouds. I will already have fanciful titles to inspire me as well.
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Platoon of Casper ghosts
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10 comments:
With such dramatic climate changes we are getting far more dramatic clouds. I also like to photograph them, but never thought about how they could be used in painting!
I also love clouds. I suspect a lot of the dramatic ones would not be believed in a painting as real lol
Rain, I don’t intend for my paintings to be real as in impressionistic works of the 19th century
Lovely cloud photos. With the heat wave we're having here I've been going to the pond down the road to swim almost every day. I swim out to the middle and then float on my back to watch the clouds. Very restful! It's never been this hot this long before, swimming in that pond is becoming a necessity. Only fear is I'll fall asleep out there and drown, it's too hot to sleep at night in the safety of my bed.
True, Diane but even in impressionism or an abstract, there has to be a sense of 'believability' at least for me. Even when it's about the energy of a place, I want to feel it.
Right you are Rain. But I paint imaginary dragons and in the future fraying ribbons into the landscape. Poetic license is OK if that intent is obvious.
I take photos of interesting clouds too even though I haven't painted a picture in years. But, recently my 15 year old grandson asked me to paint copies of some fantasy illustrations he found on the internet. Painting those copies sparked my interest in painting again so now I'm working on a new landscape. Who knows maybe I'll start blogging again.
I hope you do blog and share your work, Wally. Painting is a great creative outlet.
Those are spectacular cloud photos. Interesting how you receive inspiration for your paintings.
Wally, if you are taking photos then you are observing and that will inform your return to painting.
Joared, Next week I'll show some photos I took today that will demonstrate another use of the camera in painting.
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