Skagit After Tryon

Skagit After Tryon. Oil on Linen Panel. 9 x 12.

Early this spring I was driving a group from the High School Debate Team to a debate in Snohomish County. Driving along at 65 in the giant, rickety high school van I saw an incredible scene to the west that looked exactly like a Dwight Tryon painting. There was a row of bare trees, gray clouds and a band of cold yellow light below the trees.

Given the circumstances, I could only glance but this is what I remember.

I'd been studying the tonalists at that time, which was why the scene hit me with such force. A day or two later I stumbled on this wonderful blog post by Loriann Signori where she discussed the Tryon paintings she'd just seen in D.C.!

Shortly after that I started this painting. You can see an early version of it on my blog here. It's taken quite a while to paint this - adding things, taking things out.

Comments

loriann signori said…
Working from your memory you created the essence of this scene. I love that band of cool yellow light below the row of trees.
I remember when I first saw Tryon's work that I was amazed at how thick the paint was. He just kept working that painting, some areas are built up with almost 1/8 inch of paint! Thanks so much for the mention of my blog.
May 28, 2010 at 11:01 PM
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