Waiting For The Sun

I managed to get this started just over a week after my eye operation, it has taken a bit longer than normal to finish but I am glad that I was able to be productive in this time! A naked Dryad stands in a boulder-strewn canyon by a waterfall strewn with driftwood. She looks towards the rising sun, a promise of warmth in the golden glow of the sunlight as it penetrates the chill morning of the canyon. It is another of my paintings that is hopefully destined for Illuxcon later this year; a straightforward landscape in many ways but with the addition of the Dryad it takes on a more mythological feel which is accentuated by the design and lighting. Based on a red orange/ blue green complementary axis I have warmed it up by keeping most of the greens tinged with orange and yellow. By painting over a strong red brown underpainting this has a richer feel to the colour due to the red brown showing through all the painting in some way or other. When the painting is seen in the flesh as it were I am pleased that one squints one's eyes to look at the sun due to careful control of values over the whole picture and therefore mimicking how it would be in reality. The title references an album by The Doors but has no visual connection with it any way, I just like titles that reference songs etc! Oil on canvas 39 1/2" x 15 3/4". There is a step-by-step progress through this painting in earlier posts on this blog.