Street Light Painting

Street Light - 43cm x 43cm framed in dark walnut Road trips and campfires under some knockout night sky's led me to paint this series of Nocturnes. I make many studies of starry nights while away and also at home. Looking up, I note colour values of a scene. I love seeing small shapes of high key colour glowing from a dark house or caravan hidden in shadow. This painting 'Street Light' is a scene outside my studio window. The distant light in a neighbours window talks to the street light beaming bright high key colour onto the foliage of the trees below it. Often I'm painting from an uncomfortable place, using only a small headlamp to view the palette and canvas and with minimal visual information in front of me. Out of my comfort zone and with imposed limitations, the brain starts firing; memory and recall are ignited. Intuitively I mix colour and paint with some urgency. Invariably the result is a naive depiction of a neighbourhood or camping scene with atmosphere and a hint of nostalgia. I hope the viewer is enticed to recall their own night sky experiences. I was drawn to paint using oil colours for the lush texture and rich colour seen in paintings from the masters. Painting with oils seems to suit my creative, somewhat messy nature, however I enjoy making quick studies with gouache and charcoal especially while travelling.