Sometimes we vacation on the Oregon coast. I love the lonely beach stretching off
into the distance. This studio painting was created using reference photos and the
solitary sense of stillness I have in that wide open space.
I love painting in Laguna Beach. The canyons and hills are just as inspiring as the coast. This afternoon I was attracted to how rich the colors in the shadow were and how the last light illuminated just the crest of the hill and the distant mountain.
A photo of the same view clearly shows how a representational painting does more than just copy a scene. The artist translates the physical world through his or her own vision and communicates something (hopefully) truer, more focused, and more personal than a copyist.
“Beauty is the raison d’être of fine art. It is not conceived as a commodity to be bought and sold, but as an act of philosophy. For beauty is the image of perfection. It reflects a universal harmony, as in it opposites are reconciled and particulars unified. Through beauty art achieves its catharsis; it puts order on the chaos of quotidian life.”
~ Charles H. Cecil
From the Charles H. Cecil Studios Studio Handbook, compiled by Marc Dalessio with contributions by Nicholas Beer, Brandon Soloff, Hazel Morgan, Patrick Graham, Scott Pohlschmidt, Lee Johnson, Greg Horwitch, and Charles Cecil
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“Contemplation” L. Rosenkranz |
