Sometimes you see a painting and you wonder, how did she or he get that scene? When one sees Brenda Boylan’s painting “Crossing Sellwood,” one wonders how she avoided getting hit by a car….
“Crossing Sellwood,” by Brenda Boylan, 2012-2013, oil, 8 x 10 in.
“Crossing Sellwood” in progress
Boylan steadies her brush as traffic divides around her
“Twilight on 33rd,” by Brenda Boylan, 2013, oil 24 x 24 in.
“Last year I was written up in PleinAir Today because I was working in a precarious spot out on a small island in the middle of a street,” recounts Boylan. “The view was really unique, but it was not what most would consider a safe place to paint. At the time, I had to move along because the sunlight had changed over the course of an hour. I liked what I had done, but couldn’t call it finished, so I vowed to return once again to that island, same time of year, same time of day, to finish the piece. So when I came back a year later, I set up my easel and clipped the half-finished work upon my pochade box. I could see the finish immediately with fresh eyes. I also noticed the artistic growth over a year’s work, too. I guess there is something to be said about patience, eh?”
