Reading · The Art of Michael Whelan

A young girl wearing a blue sundress and white strappy sandals takes a step along a raised grassy path in what appears to be a gently flowing maze. Her hair is drawn back into short pigtails. At her side, she absently holds a daisy as her eyes—which seem to be pressed closed—focus downward. Long, soft shadows fall diagonally, deepening in the winding channels between adjacent tracks. In total, the walkways wind and swirl creating a pattern reminiscent of the folds of the cerebral cortex. Drawing attention to the wider gaps, shallow water reflects in highlights of blue. There are no walls or substantial barriers; it would be easy enough to hop across to another trail. — PATH (2016), Acrylic on Panel - 12” x 16”

This painting featuring my granddaughter Seren was done for the inaugural Leftovers and Palette Gremlins gallery. Every week I set out to complete a small piece inspired by paint marks or other found patterns.

It was an ambitious goal, and this was among the most finished paintings that came out of the project that year.

LEFT: Green paint patterns that served as inspiration for PATH. At the center is a dark curving line that meanders down becomes looser brown and wraps around and up forming the basis of a path among the green. RIGHT: Work in progress photo of PATH featuring the young girl and the detail of the wild grassy path she walks along. Despite the detail and finish, the edges of the surface still show white as the background is incomplete. — Initial paint marks (left) and the developing scene (right)

The palette board I started with was all in greens because of the painting I'd been working on at the time. When I started messing with it, my plan was to do a long horizontal piece out of what I saw there. Audrey liked the subject so much she urged me to paint out to the edges.

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LEFT: Detail from PATH featuring a young girl in blue sundress taking a step on a raised grassy path in what appears to be a gently flowing maze. She absently holds a daisy at her side. Just past her, another path ends in a swirl with water filling recess between tracks, reflecting the sky in a wavy blue line. RIGHT: Figure detail from PATH featuring a young girl in a blue sundress. The warmth of the sun highlights her as she takes a step on a grassy path. Her blonde hair is tied back in pigtails with a small white bow at the side. She absently holds a daisy at her side. Looking down, it appears her eyes are closed. — Details from PATH

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PATH

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