Ancestral Communication - Oil Painting Now Ready for Its Forever Home

Ancestral Communication

• Oil and Acrylic on Canvas
• 11 x 14 x 0.5 in
• $400
• Mary Rush

Since I painted the previous Plein air painting in monochrome hues of silver, bronze, gold, and beige, it was time to add color to the next painting.

I decided on a blue, purple, and green color scheme. The new process of painting an abstract underpainting is so exciting to me. It adds a spring to my step, and I can’t wait to begin the process.

Giddy with joy, immersed in the Southwest Arizona desert landscape, I was prepared to paint. This painting took the shape of the landscape naturally without trying. When I had the painting in front of me on the land, the mountains lined up with what I had randomly painted abstractly. Woo hoo! So much fun!

I grabbed the palette knife and mixed the paint to the sandy color of the desert floor. Slabs of the creamy beige appeared on top of the colorful abstract below it. I laid the paint down, following the formations of the mountains. I let the color show through in places to add surprise and wonder to the landscape scene. Two gold dots peek out boldly.

I love the shimmer of the metallic colors of bronze, gold, and silver in this color palette of blue, purple, green, and yellow.

When I look at the final painting, I hear drums beating in the distance as in ancestral communication.

Me, Mary Rush, with my painting, Ancestral Communication

Purchase link

I'd love to hear your thoughts about this painting. Please comment below. Thanks!

Commissioned Painting Update

Changed the blue sky to a colored sky, commissioned painting.
Dillon and Dexter Chilling at Bell Rock, 18 x 36 inches,
Acrylic on canvas. Copyright 2014 Mary Rush Gravelle.

Ummm.... well.... I delivered the painting. The sky was blue and that was a problem. Come to find out the buyer does not care for blue skies. When she takes photos, she puts a filter on her camera to keep the sky from being blue. My bad for not being or getting super clear on her expectations.

In reality, I very rarely paint blue skies in my paintings. The painting she purchased from me prior to the commission had a mauve and beige sky. She expected more of the same. She explained that she has no blue in her house, therefore, it doesn't really go with her decor. "Okay, no problem," I told her, "I'll put a color glaze over it... I want you to be ecstatically happy over this painting!"

So, back to the drawing board (painting easel) today. I tried the color glaze. It just didn't cut it. So, I took bold action and painted the sky the same colors as the rest of the painting, Sedona red-orange. I have to admit that I like it! It feels much more like my style. I was apprehensive in painting this work. I guess I was more nervous than I realized, trying to paint what I thought she would like. I wanted Bell Rock to look like Bell Rock. I wanted her cats to look like her cats. I guess I went a little too far in that direction.

I will let the painting sit overnight and see what it looks like in the morning. Perhaps I'll add some yellow and fuchsia to the sky. We'll see.

Original Painting. Dillon and Dexter Chilling at Bell Rock, 18 x 36 inches,
Acrylic on canvas. Copyright 2014 Mary Rush Gravelle.

So, what do you think? Do you like the colored sky? Did you like the blue sky? Have you had similar experiences with commissioned paintings?

Until Next Week

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Mary Rush
(Mary Gravelle)

About the Author

Mary Rush is an artist who resides in Sedona, Arizona with her beloved cat, Sir Kitty. More about her art and paintings can be found on her website.

Copyright 2014 Mary Rush (Gravelle). All rights reserved.

Sir Kitty