Tasmania in the Clouds

Kelly Borsheim's Original Oil Painting

80 x 100 cm [about 31.4 x 39.4 inches]
Oil Painting on Canvas
© 2014-2015
Kelly Borsheim

Private Collection, Australia

[Notan Design starting to paint art Nature composition oil painting landscape Tasmania]

Painting the Tasmanian Landscape

31 July 2014: I started by mapping out my design in Notan (2-tone design). Well, it is not really Notan. Notan is two tones, not a batch of gradations as I have done here. Still, there were times in which I felt that the more detailed I got; the more layers I added, the more I lost the feeling I had at this stage. Do not get me wrong: I like the finished painting. It reminds me of the trees and clouds or fog that I saw while traveling in Tasmania. Plus, this early stage is certainly not a finished work. But I am curious if I could somehow combine the two stages: beginning and end. I am curious how much I could take the abstraction and still let the viewer know you are at the edge of a thinning forest.

I started this painting on my 50th birthday. I decided to celebrate alone and did exactly what I wanted to! It was GREAT!

[Laying in the sky and far away clouds art Nature composition oil painting landscape Tasmania]

17 August 2014: At this stage, I had a general idea of how I wanted the treetops to dance along in the space of the canvas. So, it was time to add the sky. I did this painting in layers, setting it aside for weeks sometimes. The time length depended on what else I had going on. I wanted to finish this painting by the end of the year, but I was in no real hurry and there was time.

[Notan Design starting to paint art Nature composition oil painting landscape Tasmania]

17 August 2014: During my month in Australia (including a week in Tasmania), I kept having the feeling that children's book author Dr. Seuss found inspiration here. Mostly, it was the way the trees girated and spiky shapes seemed to be everywhere, mixed with others. I kept imagining the little folks from Whoville peeking their heads out from behind places. It was enchanting. In my head, at least.

[Tree painting art Nature composition oil painting landscape Tasmania]

18 August 2014: Now, I start to really figure out the trees. It is contrasty now, but I knew that I would be making many layers in this painting. It helps to have an idea of where you hope to go.

[Notan Design starting to paint art Nature composition oil painting landscape Tasmania]

18 August 2014: More layers. More trees. Below: a shot of a part of my little studio space. Thank you for following along and supporting my art life.

[Notan Design starting to paint art Nature composition oil painting landscape Tasmania]

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Kelly Borsheim
Borsheim Arts Studio
www.borsheimarts.com
Contact Artist