Choosing Subject Matter for Original Paintings
I’ve noticed lately that the subject matter in most of my original paintings is based on summer or fall and there is an obvious shortage of winter scenes. It’s funny how this happens, it is not deliberate but represents my interests and the world in which I live. A few years ago my portfolio consisted of many winter northern lights scenes and snow covered landscapes. Not so today. I’ve been pondering, why the change?
As I reflect, it is clear that my art represents my life, what I see, what I love, and what I know, and the cause for the change was apparent. Scant snow has fallen during the last five years in the Matanuska valley of south-central Alaska, and the snow that did fall was quickly blown away. No wonder snow covered landscapes are not the focus of my recent work.
The brown, bare limb look of a snowless winter does not interest me at this time. The one phenomena that does capture my attention are the spectacularly colored winter sunrise and sunset. The intense hues of orange, pink, yellow, and magenta linger beginning as a soft pastel veil, building like a fire in intensity, finally slowly fading to darkness. The dawn and dusk skies of winter are fascinating, mesmerizing, and memorable, and happen during reasonable daytime hours. I don’t have to stay up till midnight to see sunset and get up at three o’clock in the morning to see sunrise as is the case in June.
I hope that this winter will bring a deep accumulation of snow. I’ve missed seeing heavily laden evergreen trees, their shapes defined by the weight of frozen white clumps piled on each branch. If the landscape turns frosty white this year I will certainly explore winter as subject matter for my canvas again. Until then, the only frozen subjects from my brush will be the rapidly receding glaciers.
Alaska’s lush colors of summer and fall will always dominate my work. It is the reason I live here, work here, and play here. Nowhere else on earth is as beautiful, diverse, bountiful, large and wild. Alaska will always be the land that I love, and the land that I love to paint.
Gail Niebrugge, Alaska Artist
