Todd Schabel

In Flux and Flox, 2023

18 × 24 ″ Framed: 23.5 × 29.5 ″ Oil on canvas

From the artist:

I have been plein air painting over the last few years I have gravitated towards old barns that have those same or similar qualities. I also love how time and gravity gently fold our created structures back into the earth gracefully as the years go by. This idea was one of the main elements of my painting "In Flux and Flox." The movement of the roof and its relationship to the rest of the barn and its surroundings is what caught my eye. I titled it so, because in another 5 years or this roof could possibly be lying flat on the ground. Things are constantly in flux and the flox and other ground cover slowly makes its way into the buildings and rubble over time as well.

I could come back to this spot and paint at least 20 more paintings. My other large barn painting at the show was of the backside of a barn just to the right of this one. There were a bunch of different compositions that I thought about, but when I see something and I have that "Wow" response to it, then that is a good indication that I will be fully engaged and inspired throughout the painting process and ultimately the viewer will hopefully have a similar response as well. I am realizing more and more that when I am fully immersed in the process then a piece of art is often the result, but when I'm not then a painting is the result. Not that a "painting" is bad, but there is a distinction with the emotive quality of a piece.

I included some images of my process. I made 2 value sketches of the scene. These help solidify my vision of the completed painting and gives me a guide as I lay out the initial washes and drawing. This painting was completed in 2 sessions. The first day I blocked in the main color/values with sketchy washes using turpentine. I also established my darks and my lightest light to guide me through the rest of the values. That first day was just about 2 hours long. I came back the next day for about 4 hours to complete the painting. What I like about multiple sessions is that, especially on larger paintings, I can break down the amount of things I have to think about and it allows me to get into a state of flow on the second day. I am more refreshed and have "new eyes" the second day as long as light conditions are similar enough.

I included a photo of my paint color choices as well. Over the past year I have been experimenting with a more limited palette based on what the scene presents. I have noticed that if I use a full color palette I get stuck in my old training mode of trying to copy exactly what I see, but a limited palette won't allow for that and I can have more freedom to take artistic liberties as they say.

 

Credit Line:

Collection of Cedarburg Art Museum, Ozaukee Bank Gift to the Future Fund

Inventory ID:

2023.06