Happy Painting, "Fall on Bohicket River"

"Fall on Bohicket River"

36"x36" oil on canvas.

$1100.00 available thru Michael Mitchell Gallery.

Fall on Bohicket River is the largest painting I have completed to date. I have to tell you I am very proud of this painting. It exudes so much amazing energy and good vibes that make me smile every time I look at it. This can often be difficult to achieve when looking at one's own work. Especially when intimidated by such a large blank canvas staring at you in the face.  

There are many challenges to painting large, I don't care what any artist says! It really is not that easy. I will tell you about what works in this painting. The underpainting was done with Quinacrindone Magenta which is a beautiful almost transparent magenta. Allowing the magenta to come thru in areas brings a deeper dimension to the painting and lays down the foundation for a painting that could become nothing but happy and energetic. Originally I set out to use the coral and tangerines against a very hazy almost violet grey sky and an olive green marsh water. As I think this would be a dramatic a beautiful color scheme. However when I mix my grays they turn out turquoise, cobalt, lime green and a vibrant pink...ha.  As the gallery owner of Michael Mitchell says, "Sorry Im so happy!" Even though I don't throw my paint out of gallon size house paint cans and chain smoke miserably, I am very much an expressionistic painter. If I am unhappy I simply cannot and most of the time will not paint, if I did or do the painting turns out horrible. Not that you have to be miserable to be an expressionistic painter. I like the way my eye travels through this painting as well. An interesting and almost complex trail yet my eye always comes back to the focal point by way of the curved bank on the right, bouncing off of the coral water reflection on the left and up to the tree line at the horizon. Somehow your eye continues up into the sky thru the small blue channel between the golden thick clouds and back around to the left where the tangerine cloud to the top keeps us from exiting the marsh scape. I say somehow because we always intend to keep our audience from leaving our painting and every once in a while I accomplish this effortlessly. 

You can see more paintings by Marissa Vogl at www.marissavogl.com