Kentucky Shines Through
The painting of the sunset is now completed and will be available in the gallery soon if you are interested in purchasing a print. I wanted to share an interesting story about this piece of artwork with you. Although I love painting horses this particular piece has proven to be one of my favorite. Several different reasons make it a very special painting. As I began this sunset something developed along the way that I didn’t realize or anticipate. As I followed the clouds in the sky from the photo, and added orange, yellow, and cobalt blue, something completely unexpected began to develop in the sky. At the time I was not aware that this was happening but when I stood back from the painting I couldn’t believe what was in front of me. Clearly I could see the shape of Kentucky in the sunset. Wow I couldn’t believe it! It was not planned nor was it intentionally painted. I simply followed the photo, just as I always do in any other piece of artwork. I was completely taken by surprise! Kentucky’s shape was there, hidden in the original photo, and somehow I missed it. What an unexpected experience this was for me!
Something else that makes this painting unique and special is that this sunset reference photo was taken on the farm. One warm summer evening my husband and I took a late night ride and we were given the opportunity to enjoy this beautiful sunset. We took several pictures that night, loving each and every one of them. I knew that I had to paint at least one of these but undecided which one to paint. This reference photo, along with several others, was posted on facebook to assist with the decision. You helped me choose the one to paint. What a great choice you made! Having the image of Kentucky in the sky adds even more significance and enjoyment to this painting!
Who would have thought that Kentucky was hiding in the background? Little did I know that it was there all the time. I missed seeing it because I was so busy looking at the silhouette of the trees and the beautiful colors in the sunset. Then when the oranges, blues, and yellows were placed in their spaces, Kentucky began to shine through! Wow! I can’t believe I missed it, but so happy that it was found!
