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Napa
by Dan Clarke, 2008,
acrylic, 36 x 36. |
This is a delightful landscape. The artist has keyed the colors up and created a wonderful design. The painting gives just the right amount of information about the landscape, which then allows it to take liberties with other elements, such as color and light. Those “liberties” are what it’s all about. Good job. I have only one minor comment—and I emphasize “minor.” The field in the foreground has an abrupt linear shift of color and is also aligned with the perspective lines of the distant field. (See image below.) That tonal change (a ridge, I suspect) is so sharp that it looks forced, and it splits the landscape almost in half since it is somewhat centered. Because of that, the field flips up and seems not to recede into the distance.
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About the Critic
Colin J. Callahan teaches painting and art history at St. Paul's School, in Concord, New Hampshire, where he also runs the school's gallery. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from College of the Holy Cross, in Worcester, Massachusetts, and he studied painting at Centro Barbieri, in Rome. Callahan is represented by Anderson-Soule Gallery, in Concord, New Hampshire. To view the artist's work, visit www.colincallahan.com.
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