Shrimper’s Delight is one of the paintings in my Shrimp Fleet Series. The focus of this series is, of course the Shrimp Boats, as they exist in a moment in time. In Shrimper’s Delight the stunning sky and water overpowers the shrimp boat as the subject mater, yet the shrimp boat persists in this beautiful setting. Have you stood on the beach or some expansive setting when the beauty of the sky and earth become one and is magnificently overwhelming. You feel minuscule, but still a part of something that is beyond words, you almost float in the space.
As I continue with this passion of mine, I am more and more drawn to a fleeting atmosphere and how it interacts with a subject. Years ago I would focus on the subject, whatever it was and miss the whole point of why I was attracted to a scene. I would focus on the object, the tree, the building or whatever and not focus on the atmosphere and its interactions with an object. I am not the first artist to realize this. Let just say that once I realized it, a whole new world of painting opened up to me. I have heard artists and instructors had talk about this over the years, but It just didn’t soak in.”Duh”
Monet painted the face of the Rouen Cathedral of Notre Dame about 30 times. He set up multiple canvases at one time, as many as 14. He painted the Cathedral as the sun moved in its daily arc. He captured the changing atmosphere as it expressed itself with shadows, light and hue as it changed the face of the Rouen Cathedral. He went back to the same spot day after day until he finished the series. He painted one series in 1892-3. Prior to the Rouen Cathedral series, he painted the Haystack series in 1891. Both of these series are pretty spectacular.
Have a good summer and let me hear from you. I love to get your feedback. Susan
