1.26.2018

mad city

From James Madison Park towards the Capitol; oil on unstretched linen; 6.5" x 10.5"; 2003

Facebook has some amazing groups.  I'm in a contemporary still life group, a group dedicated to paintings from the garden and several other artists groups.  I'm also in a couple of groups devoted to the nostalgia of my hometown, Madison, Wisconsin USA.  One's called Historic Madison Wi. Photo Group and the other is Madison in the Sixties.  They're both delightful trips back in time - both in the photos and through the many comments. 

The painting above is of my hometown done in oils with a palette knife.  It's only 15 years old but it still brings back fond memories. I remember setting up my field easel in the park on a golden-sunny-fall day.  The colors were fantastic - especially the orange leaves side-lit by full sun.  It's done on a piece of linen that I taped off so that a thin strip of gesso shows around the edge.  I'm not sure why I never signed it - and now I've given all of my oils away.  It was laying in an archival storage box until I unearthed it tonight. 

2 comments:

Jan said...

I know you no longer work in oil, but your oils are so bright and colorful and very appealing to me.

And how nice is it to be able to look back at paintings and remember times past, along with places and especially friends.

Mary Klein said...

Thanks, Jan! I learned so much about color through oil painting - I'm very grateful for all the time spent with it. And you're so right about paintings evoking memories. I still remember the guy who stopped to chat with me while I painted this. He was a local artist and was very curious as to what I was up to :) And of course, it being my hometown, I remember exploring that capitol building as a kid - as well as frequenting some of those shops and eateries.

Thank you again for your comment - wishing you happy memories too!