Autumn Still Lifes
Autumn Still Lifes
Old friends, I’ve missed you!
Cobalt jar, flowered cloth, light from the southern window.
I sit and look, watching light flicker outside.
Leaves rustle.
The train whistles.
The light changes.
Hurry up and slow down please.
Painting these beloved objects is a meditation on meaning and memory.
Sitting in the silence of birdsong and train whistles, scurrying leaves and whistling kettles.
Looking, painting, looking again.
It’s a bit like making tea – the longer the steep, the deeper the flavor.
I hope you love these new paintings of old friends as much as I did making them!
Wedding Tree III
Mill River, Connecticut
Into The Woods by Erin Lee Gafill
I have been walking into the woods below the house a lot lately, listening to the birds, listening to the Mill river flow south to the Sound.
Sometimes when I am painting here, I can hear the voices of children climbing into canoes, the grown-ups bundling them in and securing their life vests before they paddle upstream, or down.
The warm summer air, cool breezes, and splashing water — the laughter of the kids and their excited giggles — the smell of thick leaves underfoot — spells summer in Connecticut to me.
Painting “Into The Woods” has been my own journey of discovery – how many greens can I find? How to convey the moisture in the air, the filtered light, the spirit of the forest?
I’m enjoying the process so much and I hope you, too, enjoy seeing the work I’m doing here on the East Coast.
As always, I’m making many forays into the subject, in many sizes.
Clouds Over the Pacific
Nature is the great teacher. And so is art.
One of my early teachers invited me to paint colors I couldn’t yet see – you’ll see them after you’ve painted them, he said.
He was right. Going beyond the literal allowed me to find more truth in my depictions of places I loved.
For over 30 years, I have strived to capture the unique atmosphere of the Golden State, drawing inspiration from the great California masters whose work transcends a mere depiction of land or sea to evoke the feeling and tone – the soul – of a place.
This painting – Clouds over The Pacific – is an homage to all those wonderful artists who showed me my home state through the lens of their own artistry.
I am forever grateful.
Painting California
… and what is “plein air” painting anyway?
There I am, on the edge of the Pacific Ocean, standing in front of a rocky outcropping encircling a tiny cove,.
I stand and look for a long time, soaking in the blue and emerald green water, the scent of salt and scrub, the hint of fog on my skin.
Waves crash in and recede, white sea-spray tossed up in the air then lingering round black outcroppings. Above, the sky darkens and then lightens again as clouds shift and the sun emerges.
Painting “en plein air”, I’m right there painting directly from the landscape – not from a photograph, not in your studio, not at a remove.
I’m in it!
And it’s glorious.
The energy – the immediacy – the directness – and the constant infusion of Nature’s healing powers (plus a master lesson of color and light) make this an unparalleled way of working.
Enjoy these new pieces from my latest California foray!
I had a blast!
