I started creating this painting four years ago, but stopped before it was finished because something about its rough, unfinished state pleased me. I hung it on the wall in my home and lived with it and loved it. This week, I decided to revisit the painting and finish it all the way! Here is the final result:
“Sunshine.”
Sunshine. 24″ x 30″, Oil on Wood, © 2018 Cedar Lee
This painting evokes a feeling of pleasant warmth and joy. It brings with it a fantasy of childhood freedom, the carefree feeling of tromping through the woods, surrounded by birdsong.
Painting by Cedar Lee in living room: Sunshine. 24″ x 30″, Oil on Wood, © 2018 Cedar Lee
The space around the massive trees is filled with yellow sunlight.
Close-up detail: Sunshine. 24″ x 30″, Oil on Wood, © 2018 Cedar Lee
Summer grasses fill the foreground, framing the bright opening between the two center trees. In the distance beyond, washed out by the sun, there are hints of more foliage.
Close-up detail: Sunshine. 24″ x 30″, Oil on Wood, © 2018 Cedar Lee
At the periphery, the tree trunks are painted in deep shadows of crimson and inky purple.
Close-up detail: Sunshine. 24″ x 30″, Oil on Wood, © 2018 Cedar Lee
There are abstract, painterly elements throughout the image–from a distance, it is the forest, but upon closer inspection, you can see rough smears of color that were applied with a palette knife.
Close-up detail: Sunshine. 24″ x 30″, Oil on Wood, © 2018 Cedar Lee
It is painted on a heavy, sturdy wood panel.
Sunshine. 24″ x 30″, Oil on Wood, © 2018 Cedar Lee
The color continues around the deep edges for a bold, three-dimensional effect.
Sunshine. 24″ x 30″, Oil on Wood, © 2018 Cedar Lee
