– Jeanne Mackenzie reporting –
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, Brian Brigham’s “Creek at Tranquility.”
Lead Image: “Creek at Tranquility,” by Brian Brigham, 2016, pastel over acrylic on foamboard, 8 x 10 in.
What an energetic study in greens! Even though there is a predominance of the color, one is not overloaded by the repetition. There is variety in the use of warm and cool greens, light and dark, hard edge and soft edge. By bringing a touch of the red/orange into the water and sky, it acts as a nice complement. What adds to the painting are the colorful shadows. A photo would have made them black and indistinguishable. The cool greens are inviting as they show the form of the shadowed bushes and bank.
