You may notice my site has a new look! In celebration of renewal, I have decided to look at some of my work and talk a little about where the idea came from. I’m going to start with my most recent oil work, Remembering Cattail, which itself is a reboot of a painting I did in High School when I was 17.
The original was a watercolor of an old mill in Johnston County called Cattail. The dam broke in the early 2000’s and has not recovered. I worked from a photograph I took when I was in my early teens in the 1980’s. It was a realistic representative work with fun blue shadows layered on the black – It was, afterall, my first REAL watercolor work. In my current oil work, I wanted to update the idea to where I am now, so I found the original photo and researched the site now. After going over the history of the changes at the site and my own relocation to New England, I decided to make this my whimsical interpretation of the now in my head Cattail. I played up the architecture and water to more than is real and kept the old color scheme and added emphasis to things and shapes I wanted. It really is an inspired by, but not real piece. I hope this give you insight into where this piece came from :-). Until next time! Stay Safe and Well! Lee
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