Night Drilling

Night Drilling

December 17, 2010

16" x 16"

Oil on Canvas

   This painting is very hard to photograph. It has many different blue layers used to create deep dark spaces, especially on the bottom left, and because it is painted in oil paint some of the areas end up with a high gloss surface. This makes a very interesting painting when you are standing infront of it, but a nightmare to capture with a camera. So much of its color, texture, and brilliance is lost in the image above.

   My significant other has taken magnificent and inspiring photos of drilling rigs in Northern Canada. I couldn't resist using one of his images for a painting. This particular image caught my interest immediately. It gave me the opportunity to exercise my skills. I was able to focus on a representative image that was completely abstract to me. I don't know a single name for any of the parts of this image, all I know is that it is a rig. I focused on breaking down the space into shape and color. I didn't even realize until I was almost done that there was a person in a white hard hat on the rig floor. 

   I pulled out all my tubes of blue paint for this one, there are so many subtleties created in blue hues. I am often drawn to the color blue and I was pretty confident that I knew exactly how to handle it in oil paint, but this one proved me wrong. I love that about painting, it often shows me that I don't know it all, just when I thought I knew something, I don't.

   This painting has caused me to consider what is possible in creating backgrounds and compositions to surround figures. It was a no fail composition for a square canvas allowing me to focus on the paint and creating interesting spaces collaborating together to form a whole painting.

   This painting also gave me the opportunity to do something meaningful and valuable for someone who has done and given so much for me. Thank you my love for all your encouragement.