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Strasburg Studio Archives: Rediscovery in the Stacks
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F A L L P I N E - I N G
OCTOBER SPOTLIGHT: "Fall Mountain Lake"
14 x 36", oil on birch panel, 2022 - 2024.
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Thank you for joining me on this monthly trip through the archives of my studio.
Fall Mountain Lake, 14 x 36”, oil on birch panel.
Recently, a friend sent me a link to an “art bot” which will churn out a description of a selected artwork when you upload an image. For this month’s spotlight, I thought I would enlist the help of the AI generated analysis. It’s weird and fun and unnerving all at the same time.
“This artwork is an evocative landscape painting capturing a serene natural scene dominated by rich greens and yellows. The composition features a foreground of reflective water, with a lush middle ground of trees in the peak of their autumnal glory, characterized by vibrant yellow leaves
The use of color in this piece is particularly striking. The artist has masterfully employed a range of greens and yellows to convey the season's warmth and the lushness of the foliage. The reflections in the water are rendered with particular finesse, subtly capturing the mirrored image of the trees and adding depth to the scene. The brushstrokes are deliberate yet fluid, indicating a proficient control of technique that brings a sense of movement and life to the painting.
One of the strengths of this artwork lies in its ability to evoke a serene and contemplative mood. The choice of an autumnal color scheme imbues the scene with a sense of nostalgia and tranquility, inviting the viewer to pause and reflect as though they are standing by the water's edge themselves.”
The bot offers a surprisingly accurate description and even manages to touch the deeper nuances of mood, movement, and atmosphere within the work. Yet, what it can’t know is my motivation for painting this image or what my personal connection is to this place and time.
Fall in the mountains was always a miraculous experience. Our property had myriad tree species that put on a stunning color parade from late September through early December. The sugar pine, with its coral glory, was the first to change, followed by a small grove of aspen that transitioned from limey green to rich golden fluttery leaves. Blue spruce trees mingled with the warm foliage, and a red pin oak capped off the season with fiery crimson leaves.
Autumn is a much quieter affair on the coast of California, which is why I find myself missing our mountain retreat more each year. Still, I revisit the glorious moments of our tenure in the mountains when recreating that breathtaking landscape.
And while the art bot can mimic analysis, it can never truly convey the warmth of the sun filtering through those golden leaves or the crispness of the mountain air. Each brushstroke is a reminder of home, an invitation to hold onto those fleeting moments, and a way to keep the spirit of those autumn days alive in my heart.
“Fall Mountain Lake” is part of a small collection of paintings depicting the watering hole across the street from our former cabin. I sketched these out several years ago and return to them regularly, finally finishing two paintings of the four seasons. They have yet to be seen in a gallery setting but remain beloved in my own home until the time they fly the nest to reside elsewhere.
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