by Jeanne Mackenzie

In this series, plein air painter and instructor Jeanne Mackenzie takes a look at new paintings by contemporary artists and points out why they succeed as painted images. This week, Colleen Parker’s “Bend in the River.”

A very simple painting with large, simple shapes. But the big story is about the quietness of the scene and a place in time. The sky gives that canopy feeling by moving from cool to warm toward the horizon. The river sits down nicely; as it gets flatter, the closer it gets to your eye level. There is a nice underpainting warmth coming through that connects the sky with the landscape.

“Bend in the River,” by Colleen Parker, oil on linen panel, 9 x 12 in.
“Bend in the River,” by Colleen Parker, oil on linen panel, 9 x 12 in.

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