Almost Spring

I just finished reading Noa Noa, the journal of post-impressionist painter Paul Gauguin. Disenchanted with modernity and European affluence, Gauguin leaves France in 1894 and spends two years living in Tahiti. Although this time period is often overshadowed by his romantic trysts with the natives, Noa Noa focuses on Gauguin's search for simplicity, authenticity, and inspiration.

Indeed, Gauguin is inspired by the Tahitian landscape, the body structure of the natives, and the culture he encountered there. Perhaps the best feature of his journal -- at least for us visual types -- are the reproductions of his various paintings and woodcuts that were created during this two year period.

It was one of these works, Te Faruru (translated as: They Are Making Love Here), that inspired my own work, Almost Spring.

Te Faruru by Gauguin

What I love about Te Faruru is the texture that Gauguin creates by heavily carving into this piece. It is the carvings that create depth and a different textural experience for the viewer than if the work had simply been painted and left to dry. Unfortunately, the journal does not list the tools Gauguin used for carving but one imagines Paul sitting on the beach, seashell or rock in hand, and carving delicately into the wood.

Te Faruru inspired me to try my own hand at etching. My piece, Almost Spring, has incredible movement and depth, precisely because I was able to etch and carve into the color. For this piece, I used pastels.

The colors all blend magnificiently and my use of etching creates great texture in the tree. This was the result of the view outside my window, which on that cold February day, was a tree struggling to blossom amidst the snow. For the background, I blended purple, pink, yellow, and orange tones to re-create the sunset.

Almost Spring 11x14 $425