June 22, 2015

A New Painting: "Bar and Shadow"


Bar and Shadow, egg tempera on calfskin parchment, 9 x 6 3//4 in. 


Every once in a while I do a painting that pleases me; its form, color, structure, light, feels especially satisfying. It's not that I don't like other paintings; if I didn't like them they would be wiped away. I can hardly explain why Bar and Shadow is one of those paintings that affects me in this way, but I am happy looking at it. It's not a matter of quality, which I am not judging; others may think differently about this painting. I think here it is the blue-gray color, almost neutral but not quite, and the angled bar which becomes a curving shadow, the balance of elements, which pleases.


Bar and Shadow detail


I also enjoy the warm reflected light in the recessed area. I'm not trying to toot my own horn here: I imagine that those of you who make things––whether art or gardens, meals or ukeleles––experience a particular satisfaction from time to time. 


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7 comments:

  1. Lisa at GreenbowJune 22, 2015 at 10:31 AM

    I can see why you like this so much. The shadows make this one come alive. Beautiful. Well done...

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  2. Olga NorrisJune 22, 2015 at 1:50 PM

    It's that mixture of the seemingly mundane and the surprise of delight in the simple observation - the way your paintings make me look even more closely at details. This piece has the added bonus of the joy of the unexpected in the shapes of the pipe and its shadow. Lovely.

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  3. Altoon SultanJune 22, 2015 at 5:12 PM

    Thank you both so much.

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  4. AnonymousJune 22, 2015 at 9:01 PM

    I like this painting, too. I'm struck by the shadow of the bar--an unexpected line. I enjoy the unexpected; it makes me aware of the wonder of life. I made a photograph years ago of a tree casting shadows on the meadow behind it. The surprise: shadows from the branches I assumed straight curved and curled, a delight.

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    1. Altoon SultanJune 23, 2015 at 3:14 PM

      Thanks. It is funny how that angled bar translated into a curving shadow.

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  5. Susan SawyerJune 25, 2015 at 8:48 AM

    It's a beaut, Altoon! And I love that feeling, when something is just right and a wonder to look at -- it's very satisfying. I like how the surface texture of the vellum is so visible, and the golden light in the shadows.

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    1. Altoon SultanJune 25, 2015 at 1:42 PM

      Thanks so much, Susan. I'm glad you noticed the parchment surface; the irregularities are very visible in the detail image when enlarged.

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