The Unpaved Path
My older brother has always gone ahead of me in life.
Growing up, he was in the grade above mine, so I would typically have a general idea of what to expect once I entered the next grade. My teachers were also familiar with my brother, so meeting them felt a little less intimidating on the first day of classes. I followed my brother from elementary school all the way through college. Once I arrived to college, I lived on the same hall as him and was introduced to a lot of the people he knew. Wherever my brother went, I would always go. It almost felt like he was pioneering his way through life, and I would simply follow the path he paved.
However, our paths began to slowly diverge about one year ago when he got a full-time job. Before we parted ways, the two of us went on a hike up Sharp Top mountain. Even on this hike, he walked ahead of me to the pinnacle of the mountain. On the way up, he pointed out areas for me to be careful and would often look back to make sure I was doing alright. We stayed at the top for about 15 minutes observing the wide and vast world beneath our feet. Everything looked so small from where we stood.
View from the pinnacle of Sharp Top.
As we made our way down the mountain, he started to wander too far ahead of me, and I found myself struggling more to avoid stumbling on the rocks. We eventually made it to the end of the hike, and both of us were pretty tired and hungry. Naturally, we stopped to eat waffles on our way back home.
What does this story have to do with art?
Nothing. It has nothing to do with art ha ha, but it is relevant to the subject matter that I painted this week.
I decided to paint Sharp Top mountain (the hike I completed with my brother about one year ago) from the distance, and I couldn’t help but think about memories with him. We are both now grown and living our own separate lives, and I don’t get to see him very often. I’m proud of him, but I’m sad for myself. He’s a pretty funny dude, and I miss seeing him all the time.
Anyways, the point is that I’ve followed in my brother’s footsteps my whole existence, and now I’m at the point where I’m beginning to pioneer my own way through life without him scouting the route ahead.
At first this thought was terrifying to me. But then, I remembered that I’ll always have someone else going ahead of me in all my life adventures, and He promises to always be present (Hebrews 13:5). So, I’ll never truly be alone in my endeavors.
The Process
I began this painting by toning the canvas with a thin layer of burnt sienna pigment. Next, I added the background elements first and worked my way to the foreground. The environment was hazy, so I had to be sure to communicate this within my work. To accomplish this, I added a gradient to the base of Sharp Top and painted a darker prominent line to indicate the top of a separate mountain located in the foreground. The values in the background are lighter, and the colors are cooler; however, the value and saturation gradually grow darker and warmer as they get closer to the foreground. I made sure to remember that warmer colors often appear as if they are closer to the viewer when paired next to “cool” colors. I leaned into this principle to create the illusion of “depth in my work.”
Overall, I am satisfied with this piece and will be framing it.
11×14 oil on cotton canvas