Evolution of a Painting, Vol. 2
The community story that inspired A Beauty We Didn’t Expect….
In 2016-2017, retired writer Dixie Scovel moved from her Long Island home to Water Valley, Mississippi. In 2019, I asked her about some of the good things about her new community, and she described the landscape and the language.
“The whole landscape of it, I love. And the clouds. I'm driving towards Oxford, and it's a very blue sky, and all the cumulus clouds just sort of rise up in the horizon. There is a beauty to it that I didn't expect.
It reminds me that I was born in western Pennsylvania. There are times in the winter when I drive through here and the fields are brown, and it looks exactly like Western Pennsylvania. The hills there are more rugged, but it's similar. I went to grade school and high school in upstate New York, and it’s also similar to that. All of that beauty is here, but it's a little different. And I appreciate it.”
The gradual evolution of A Beauty We Didn’t Expect, acrylic and tempera on wood panel, 36” x 48”, 2021.
I took a quick and badly lighted photo at the end of each painting session. While there were well over 40 images to choose from, I whittled them down to twelve.
During the later stages, you can see how much slower the progress becomes. It took me several minutes to detect the differences between images eight and nine. (They’re there, I promise.)
Enjoy poring over the creative process? Check out the evolution of more of my paintings here, including some stop motion videos.
Curious about Water Valley, Mississippi? You can learn more about the town here, as well as read about a weekend itinerary of what to do, eat, and see while you’re there.