October 4, 2016 - 15:58
The painting sits about 4 feet above the ground on a blank white wall. It is about an arm’s length wide, and ¾ of an arm high. The canvas itself is inside a box with an inch of space between the edge of the canvas and the frame of the box. The upper left quadrant of the painting has the darkest shades, as well as the thickest layers of paint which make this the central focal point. The paint is applied liberally, with thick, overlapping strokes that draw the eyes down and towards the bottom right quadrant. Not only do these strokes overlap each other, but they pop off the page creating a three dimensional representation of a rough, rocky landscape. Although the color palette is dark and simple, the variety of strokes create many different shades and tones of blue, green and purple. Transitioning through the center of the painting the three dimensional ridge diminishes and the paint becomes thinner and smoother; the texture gradient creating a downwards slope. The colors become lighter and also greener, suggesting a change in landscape with less texture. As these green strokes leak into the bottom right quadrant, the color again shifts to a darker, duller green purple, giving the illusion of a deep valley. These diagonal, darker strokes are abruptly cut off by a set of perpendicular, consistently green strokes. These strokes keep the viewer in the painting, seemingly setting them on an outcropping overlooking the rest of the landscape. This outcropping swings the viewer into the bottom left quadrant. In strong contrast, the upper right quadrant varies in shade and color from the rest of the painting. The light blues and whites suggest a colder environment and the broader strokes imply a smoother surface such as ice or water. Overall, while there are no solid lines throughout the painting, the color and texture variants suggest an outline of mountainous landscape with a glacier in the distance.
Kelsey and Sophia