An Unusual Twist on a Nocturne

'Fireflies in the Meadow'              9x12              pastel                 ©Karen Margulis
ask me about availability 

 It was play day and I was looking for a challenge. I wanted to do something different. How about a nocturne? That would be a challenge. But I wanted it to be MY nocturne. It needed to be a landscape in the evening. I wondered what a meadow of Queen Anne's Lace would look like at dusk. This would be my challenge.

I needed to do some homework first. I wasn't sure exactly if the low light of early evening would allow me to see anything that wasn't illuminated in some way. The only way I would know is through direct observation. Michael and I went out to a spot near the house that was filled with Queen Annes Lace. It wasn't the most picturesque spot at the base of giant electric towers. But it would have to do. We spent about an hour taking photos and watching how the light changed. By 9:20 the last of the sunlight was gone and the sky took on the wonderful deep blues of early evening.

But what about the flowers? I could still see them but the colors were dark and dull. It is interesting that I saw so much more than the photos showed. Look at the photo below. You cannot see the tangle of grasses and flowers. Yet in real life I could see them. That is the power of direct observation. And it guided my color and value choices for the painting.

As we were leaving the 'meadow' the fireflies began to emerge. It was the perfect ending to the evening. I knew that they would have to become a part of the painting.

The meadow as dusk

A got from a friend came in handy. More on this soon!