A Broody Moody May Morning

On May Morning
 by John Milton

Now the bright Morning Star, Day's harbinger,
Comes dancing from the East, and leads with her
The Flowery May, who from her green lap throws
The yellow Cowslip, and the pale Primrose.
Hail bounteous May that dost inspire
Mirth and youth, and warm desire,
Woods and Groves, are of thy dressing,
Hill and Dale, doth boast thy blessing.
Thus we salute thee with our early Song,
And welcome thee, and wish thee long.

May opened with a misty grey day paint-out at the Lyme Land Trust's Clucas Field Preserve. Nevertheless, a multitude of painters descended on the tick laden, silvery celadon meadow, looking the part for the cover of 'Field & Stream' magazine.

On arrival, volunteers greeted us with scones and hot coffee and informed us of the boundaries of the land trust's parcel. We were off! While most of the painters headed for the one lone tree stand at the edge of the field, others made camp along the stream or in the surrounding wood. The field offered little excitement as the trees had not yet leafed out and the threat of rain loomed in the air. Everything was all one monotonous tone (hence, I affectionately deemed her, 'Clunker Field').

With a quick 360 scan, I was drawn directly to the wood. Tripping a number of times over briar-strewn rock, I couldn't penetrate the forest fast enough. I could see a mountain wall of rock tucked into the woodland cathedral, inside of which lay a perfectly cut rectangular doorway. I'd found my sanctuary. A dwelling place of ancient man! A portal to other worlds!! But I'd also found my challenge. Although Passion's spark was ignited, the scene was a study of subtlety, consumed by chromatic grays.   

Consequently, I had to fight for the painting (pictured below, right). The initial block-in was in need of light and dark accents to create the illusion of space and add movement to the overall painting. I used burnt sienna and French ultramarine blue for the darkest dark of the cave and punched up a circular pattern of lights to move the eye and bring the rock forward.

"Woodland Grotto", 8 x 6" oil

Lastly, I pushed the whole rock formation back with the warmth and movement of celadon leaves. I thought of the three foliage arrangements as characters, the camouflaged sentinel (paternal) tree in the upper left, the cool watchful (maternal) fern on the upper right and the playful, mischievous (child) sapling in the foreground. It was a good lesson on the virtues of subtlety and persistence. In truth, there was a time or two I felt like throwing in the brush!

"A May Day at Clucas Field", 12 x 16" oil

Capping off the week at Clucas, I gave the lone tree stand on the edge of the field a go. Presented with the same problems, I had to add interest in the sky that didn't exist, push color and find patterns of light to move the eye throughout. Also, with the limited value range of the cloudy day, utilizing color temperature to establish the planes was key.

Since these subtle but salient lessons of spring, I've passed the field on many painting expeditions and have seen her, a proud presence crowned and clothed in a glorious, leafy mantle. A trumpet, not a clunk! And I am flooded with affectionate warmth for those early soft May days when she graciously extended her arms to the humble and gave reprimand to the jester.

Both paintings, Woodland Grotto; and A May Day at Clucas Field were accepted into the 2nd Annual Celebrating Lyme's Beauty exhibition. This show will be on view at the Lyman Allen Museum June 1st - June 30th, 2012 in their first floor Glassenberg Gallery (opening reception Friday, June 1st from 6 to 8pm). It will then travel to the Lyme Art Association and be on view July 7th - September 3rd, 2012 in the new lower level gallery.