A Blaze of Glory

A Blaze of Glory | 66”x 24” | Oil on Canvas
 
At the time of creating this painting, I lived at this place, with this view, where I could see all the glorious sunsets that came. This particular sky, with its orange and yellows, truly did appear to have the visual intensity of looking into fire.
 
Like most artists, and most people, I enjoy the brilliance of light. I also have a deep appreciation for the strength of shadow and the interesting things that can often be seen there. 
In this painting the mountains could have been painted more darkly, almost as silhouette against the bright sky. However, instead I worked in value shifts and directional brush strokes to add form, and more interest to the shadowed mountains, and thus to the painting overall.
 
Here’s a bit of poetry I wrote as inspired by sunsets, and my thoughts on light and shadow:
 
As the wonderful light of day, with its warmth and security, ebbs away toward the Earth’s dark night, the Sun sends its last rays across the atmosphere to light it up with brilliant, inspiring color. A powerful reassurance that we may rest in peace till the light again comes to us at morning’s dawn. We are loved. We are cared for. We are the children of the creator of living art.
 
“Shadow gets its life from light, light gets its brilliance from shadow.”  - Mark B. Goodson

“You should have the Art you Love”