The Day's Work - Paintings of C. Litka: December 2013

Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Winter in the Lane

Same old same old, but I still had a fall painting on the wall in this size so I had to do a winter one quick. This is it. It was quick.

12x16" 30x40cm acrylic on hardboard

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Last night I painted a much more, well, not realistic, but more crafted version of this scene. It didn't seem to work when I looked at it this morning; too stiff and to easily mistaken for a painting that someone was try to paint realistically and failing.

18x24" 45x60cm acrylic on hardboard

Friday, December 13, 2013

The Farm of Covervale Lea

Started out with the idea of doing something like "Farmyard in Early Winter" but that wasn't working so well, so I decided to change the coloring to something more like "Frosty Morning in Sparrows Sq." and this is what I ended up with.

18x24" 45x60cm acrylic on hardboard

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Frosty Morning in Sparrows Square

Old theme, old treatment. Different shape. I've now used up my backlog of 12x24" pieces, which are left over from cutting two 18x24" boards out of a standard 2x4' hardboard sheet.

12x24" 30x60cm acrylic on hardboard.

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Farm Yard in Early Winter

Open spaces, now closed spaces. The challenge was to make the buildings as casual as the trees.

12x24" 30x60cm acrylic on hardboard

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Field of Snow

I like my don't care attitude about this painting. It's simple, stark, creates a mood, and I like it.

12x24" 30x60cm acrylic on hardboard

Monday, December 2, 2013

Brook in Early Winter

It's that time of year again. And it sucks. Might as well paint it.

12x24" 30x60cm acrylic on hardboard.

What I'm Up To

I think artist’s statements are largely needless. Paintings speak for themselves. And yet, here I am set to rattle on about my approach to painting. Now, if you're of the same opinion as I claim to be, skip this and enjoy the paintings, but if you want a hint as to what I’m trying to do, here’s the words.

I approach painting via two different roads that arrive at the same place. The first is that I paint only “studies” or sketches. Back in the day artists painted quick studies to get the colors and features down to use as a guide to paint a finished studio painting. Funny thing is of the paintings I’ve seen together with their studies, I’ve always preferred the loose and spontaneous studies over the stiff and polished finished painting. For that reason I’ve chosen to paint only studies.

My second approach to painting is inspired by a quote from the writer, Raymond Chandler: “I guess maybe there are two types of writers, writers who write stories and writers who write writing.” He considered himself of one of the latter, as do I which is to say; writers who’s words are entertaining in and of themselves, independent of the story. Perhaps painters could be divided the same way: Painters who paint pictures and painters who paint paintings. While I don’t consider one type superior to the other, I aim to be a painter of paintings. I want to paint paintings that capture a moment, inspire or recall a memory or mood, but which, viewed longer or closer, or with one's glasses on, prove to be clearly paintings: paint brushed into shapes on a surface. That these mere shapes can create an impression they’re something else, for a moment, or at a distance is the independent interest I would like my paintings to possess, not because they realistically reproduce branches, or water or what ever, but because they don’t. What I don't want to paint is places or post card scenes, even though landscape are the medium which I use for my painting.

The Day's Work - Paintings of C. Litka