Michelle (Basic) Hendry - Fine Artist & Author

Artist and Author - Landscapes and Ruins

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Observation and Analysis…

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The last few days have been spent working on the analytical side of being an artist.

I have now listed my goals for 2009 (see my last post) and have drawn up a bi-weekly schedule in order to fulfill them. Some will take months – others I expect to complete by the end of February. Others still will be ongoing; their function perhaps more to create good habits than so much an end product. I am quite happy with this list!

Frankly, everything I have been doing of late has been analytical. From getting the information I need to update and reform my website, to getting myself into the mindset writing CSS – to the way I am looking at the natural world around me. My focus with my eyes and to some extent my camera has had less to do with the aesthetic and more with how I need to see something in order to paint it. Take, for example, the photo below. I took it for the simple purpose of looking at the light and the tree branches – how they interacted. It is a great example of a simple reference photo.

reference photo
Reference photo for tree branches © Michelle Basic Hendry

I went for a wonderful hike in the bush with snowshoes the other day. I am a bit anemic, so my pace was a little slower than usual. The advantage to this was the need for frequent stops. They allowed me to soak in the environment, look at the light and see the colour of Winter (I went just before sunset and returned as it was getting dark). I bundled myself well and when I reached the farthest and highest point, I dropped myself in the snow and looked up. I observed the way the light changed the colour of objects around me as the sun got lower and lower. The branches of trees went from rich gold with dark twigs to the colour of blood orange that was so intense the chroma took over completely obliterating the natural colour of the branches. I purposefully left the camera at home so I could watch this transformation. Acrylic paints are lousy at 0˚C, never mind -10˚C, so painting was out of the question, so I got to just watch.

Sometimes, the simple act of observation gives us the insight that struggling with paint or a camera might distract us from. As an artist, these times are like a meditation. I highly recommend it for its own sake – not to mention the fundamental value of getting out of the house or the studio and doing some exercise!

So perhaps the fallout of some of my goals and their need for analysis has been the exercise of observation. Something that I hope will improve the experience of painting – which – I must get back to!

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Comments

  1. Hello Michelle and first : Happy new year to you and your family.

    Walking threw the nature is always a great pleasure and inspiration source.
    During our short Christmas break, we (my wife, daughter and i) spent some time hiking in the forest and also around the sea. It’s amazing we can find new beauties every time we go out in the place where we’re living for about 15 years.

  4. Patrick – I love the forest…

    Thanks, Linda!

    Kinsey – It was almost silent, but for the snowmobiles in the distance!!

  5. Wonderful photo, Michelle. I agree about the simple act of observing. An art in itself, it teaches us so many things, especially stillness.

    It is difficult for me to see clearly when in judgment or analyzing. Nature has always been a major healing for me this way too!

  6. Some of my best memories of hiking was when I was looking for Pine Mushrooms near Pemberton, B.C.
    Your eyes are glued to the ground, and you are not trying to get to a particular destination. Because of this you actualy take the time to look at everything in a very intense way.
    It is amazing at what you will see if we would only look.

  8. I hear you on observation. I have to say, at the times when I gave up on painting or photography in the past, I was still quite active in observation & training “the eye.” It’s a fulfilling process.

  9. It is. The next few posts will be a mix of observation and a breakdown of how to improve my website and blog. So what seems almost disjointed thinking here will hopefully make some sense!

  10. Happy New Year to you, Michelle!

    My walks are great fuel for my art. Often, if I take my camera, “walking” takes so many breaks that I haven’t exercised at all!

    Beautiful photo.