Much of the time when I'm painting one piece, happy accidents trigger an idea for another piece. For example, when I'm painting the trappings on a carousel horse, I've frequently gotten the colors or values too bright. While I do like the garishness, I frequently opt to rein it in--no pun intended. The inadvertent misfire, however, has me pondering the "what if" of another image where I just run with the exaggerated color. So, rather than play it safe, I've dabbled in some of these "discoveries." I even thought, "Heck, if I juxtapose the adornments on a darker backdrop, maybe the trappings will look like they are radiating light themselves."
Thus, I get...
Carousel Horse Silhouette
oil
6" x 6"
Of course, a picture like this is now the springboard for other related ideas...fireflies around the horse, Christmas lights somehow in the mix, and so forth. I'm eager to try a bunch of ideas. And no, I don't think there is any deep meaning in artwork that I make like this. I just enjoy marveling at these serendipitous depictions.
