Winter Evening: Step 1
I have always loved the idea of sitting by the fire reading during a snow storm. It is no small accomplishment of civilization that a once life-threatening storm could become a beautiful and peaceful backdrop to a relaxing evening; and that a fire, once a necessary element of survival, could become a luxury simply to be enjoyed.
That is what I will portray in this painting.
Visually, I am excited to play the warm orange light of the fire off of the cool blue light of the city outside the window, and the linear design of the fireplace, the window, and the city architecture off of the smoother organic shape of the figure. The various textures of the stone, the fabric of the chair, the floor (stone or hardwood) and the skin should also add interest and contrast to the piece.
In this compositional sketch, I have just roughed out the basic idea for the piece. Some minor details of the pose may change, and I am fairly certain I will end up lengthening the composition to allow for a wider view of the cityscape. My biggest concern at this point is finding reference material for the fireplace, which I love compositionally, and effectively giving the feel of the firelight to the finished piece since I will most likely need artificial light to take the reference photos.
Tags: Bryan Larsen, Winter Evening
February 3rd, 2004 at 1:00 pm
The painting looks like it will be extremely good.
The sketch already portrays the sense of achievement that the painting will put forward, and the sense of joy that Man’s conquering of the elements can create.
I will be looking forward eagerly to the various updates as the painting is created.
February 5th, 2004 at 11:00 am
I’m very interested to see how this piece evolves. This one will be exciting since the painting is truly a work-in-progress and nobody knows what the finished piece will look like.
I am curious to know about the intended setting for this painting. If I had to guess, I’d say it is in a suburb close to the city. The brick/stone fireplace looks more like something you’d find in a house than something you might find in a city loft, and it looks as if we’re closer to ground level rather than several stories up.
In my opinion this has all the makings of one of Mr. Larsen’s best paintings yet.
February 5th, 2004 at 4:30 pm
Yes, I am excited to see the progress as well. The development of the interplay of light and shadow will be very interesting to watch.
February 7th, 2004 at 2:40 pm
Mmmm….I love this piece already. I am in the middle of building a home with a double fireplace - with see-through perspex glass in the middle, so that the fire will show in 2 rooms. This comes close to capturing how lovely I hope it will feel. Can’t wait to see how both fireplaces turn out.
February 7th, 2004 at 8:15 pm
Thank you everyone for the comments! I too am, as always when starting a new piece, excited to see how the final painting turns out. I am also looking forward to having this record of my thoughts along the way as well as the comments of visitors to the studio.
The setting I had in mind was a private home on a hill, perhaps just across a river from a major city such that the view would be elevated and unobstructed from the large windows. Due to the snow and fog coming off of the river, the details of the city will be subtle with only basic outlines and bright lights visible. The light of the city will be diffused in the air so that the night sky outside is brighter than the shadows inside the room (in the right side of the painting). If I am able to pull it off it should be quite stunning.
Check in with the next update for more on the fireplace.