The Creative Process
by Stefan Baumann
Every painting created must share the same requirements- accurate drawing, good color, values, and edges. Many artists labor over a painting for hours, and other painters spend less than one hour on a canvas and call it done. No matter how fast or how slow you paint, every style of painting has its merits. Who you are is how you paint!
As a boy growing up in Lake Tahoe I spent my summers camping at alpine lakes high above the timberline, sleeping under the stars next to an open campfire. There I discovered my passion for nature and the elements that make up my art.
In the painting “Shasta at Sunset” I wanted to capture the feeling of the warm yellow light of the setting sun hitting the summit of Mt. Shasta. I painted hard edges along the peak and slowly blended them into a haze using soft edges and cool colors. My objective was to give the massive peak a feeling of being afloat. I use light upon dark to bring the attention of the viewer to the central focal point, the mountain itself. In the foreground I silhouetted the moss covered logs, trees and rocks and placed a bear in the shadows. This gave a sense of place and scale to the viewer.
This painting is filled with detail, and was completed in a short amount of time. It’s the experience of having painted for years and my close relationship with nature that made the difference - not that I was able to paint it in less than two hours.
