Notes from Valerie Collymore's Impressionist Odyssey

Paul Cézanne is on my mind when I am capturing this Queen Anne neighborhood scene. I took reference photo on a beautiful spring day. You can see new leaves beginning to fill the trees. The color blooming on the shrubs combines with the other foliage, blue sky, and intriguing shadows — there are great opportunities for color interactions here and when painting, I get to choose how to represent them.

The thread that pulls the painting together and creates a compelling impression is how light is depicted. Understanding the light in this scene is my primary concern, which is why I’m thinking of Cézanne.

As I create the visual structure for the tree canopy, there are two quotes from Cézanne that are resonating with me.

Nature is more depth than surface. Hence the need to introduce into our light vibrations represented by the reds and yellows, a sufficient amount of blue to give the impression of air.

This quote refers to the opportunities for color interactions I mentioned above. I am making intentional choices at every stage to get the most out of the colors I am using.

Shadow is a colour as light is, but less brilliant; light and shadow are only the relation of two tones.

Appropriate treatment of shadows and their connection to the rest of the painting is one of several keys to a successful painting.

Speaking of Cézanne, my favorite “giver of sunlight,” Sennelier’s Bright Yellow (511) is one of 18 colors on the last palette used by the master painter! The palette is on display at Musée Granet in Aix-en-Provence, and all 18 colors are still available from Sennelier. The harmony in this palette is part of what I want to bring to the painting in progress.

Do you recognize the painting? I worked on it during a full in-person demo day at Fountainhead Gallery last month and I am continuing to develop it during my early morning painting sessions.

By the way, if you’re wondering how to go from a blank canvas to starting a composition and building up a painting’s structure, consider enrolling in PLF40. I'd love to teach you!

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