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NEW WORK
“Here Comes The Sun”
An idea had swirled in my head for some time—to bring to life in large format the joy of rebirth—spring ecstasy as expressed by humankind and nature in vegetation, animals, and birds.
When George Harrison died, I heard his song, “Here Comes The Sun”, replayed. It clicked!—that’s the theme of my painting ! The painting could state my feelings, as well as pay tribute to a gifted musician, composer, poet and mystic.
My emphasis was to communicate emotion—not to get bogged in factual representation or precision—and to maintain an air of freshness and spontaneity even though, in fact, a great deal of thought went into the pre-painting and the process itself took place over the course of the winter.
I have tried to portray the exhilaration in the renewal of spring—after “a long cold winter”. The animals—together with the flowers—dance and soar to the music of sunshine.
Perhaps the sunshine is accompanied by celestial strumming?
Figurative Landscapes
As an image takes form from stone for a sculptor so figurative shapes appear to the Artist when studying landmasses.
A few years ago I saw the profile of a native Canadian lying against the skyline. Thus began the Red Indian Mountain series, figures from landscape.
Later I began to see landscape in my figurative drawings.
The crossover point, where the viewer can go back and forth between seeing a painting as figurative or as imaginary landscape, is the area I most wish to explore. Pushing or pulling the figure or the landscape back or forward is a creative challenge and whichever one sees on first impact, landscape or figurative, the other waits to be noticed.
Many of the paintings on my site are Figurative Landscapes. Dancing Landscape and Red Indian Mountain may be viewed vertically as figurative or horizontally as landscape.
By personifying the land through Figurative Landscape I can show its feminine side, its strength and vulnerability, and balance the yin/yang.
EARLY WORK
My studio/home is in the mountains. When our daughters were young we home schooled them. To ensure they received the benefits of interaction with peers and cultures, we travelled and worked in many areas. I’ve always painted on location—whatever surrounds me. I have to feel a connection, an emotional response. Variety is a stimulus and I guess the challenge is to translate the subject and make it uniquely mine.
I invite the viewer to share my happiness and appreciation of this planet Earth.
E. Petherick
May 20/2003
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