Eclipse Day Climber

Here is my new oil painting “Eclipse Day Climber.”

Eclipse Day Climber. 30" x 30", Oil on Canvas, © 2017 Cedar Lee
Eclipse Day Climber. 30″ x 30″, Oil on Canvas, © 2017 Cedar Lee

I absolutely love the effect of the textured paint giving the mountains a rocky feel.

Detail: Eclipse Day Climber. 30" x 30", Oil on Canvas, © 2017 Cedar Lee
Detail: Eclipse Day Climber. 30″ x 30″, Oil on Canvas, © 2017 Cedar Lee

I created this effect with the use of cold wax medium. When mixed with oil paints, it gives the paint a stiff, whipped texture like frosting. I painted the mountains only with palette knives.

Detail: Eclipse Day Climber. 30" x 30", Oil on Canvas, © 2017 Cedar Lee
Detail: Eclipse Day Climber. 30″ x 30″, Oil on Canvas, © 2017 Cedar Lee

The textured mountains are contrasted against the flat, smooth sky, which glows golden.

I imagine the person’s trek to this vantage point was filled with challenge and peril, and worth every moment.

Detail: Eclipse Day Climber. 30" x 30", Oil on Canvas, © 2017 Cedar Lee
Detail: Eclipse Day Climber. 30″ x 30″, Oil on Canvas, © 2017 Cedar Lee

The lone climber is treated to a spectacular view of the solar eclipse during the moment of totality. The sun’s corona is a blinding sliver of white light around the flat circle that is the moon. The mountainous landscape spreads out below in a gradation of color from nearly black in the foreground, to brown, red, orange and finally gold at the horizon.

Detail: Eclipse Day Climber. 30" x 30", Oil on Canvas, © 2017 Cedar Lee
Detail: Eclipse Day Climber. 30″ x 30″, Oil on Canvas, © 2017 Cedar Lee

This painting is especially beautiful and inspiring because of its scale. At 30″ x 30″, it fills the whole room with its warm glow.

Art Studio of Cedar Lee. On easel: Eclipse Day Climber. 30" x 30", Oil on Canvas, © 2017 Cedar Lee
Art Studio of Cedar Lee. On easel: Eclipse Day Climber. 30″ x 30″, Oil on Canvas, © 2017 Cedar Lee

Here you can see “Eclipse Day Climber” displayed alongside my earlier painting “Corona.” Both paintings have a similar color scheme, similar rocky landscapes and warm glowing skies. Both feature a lone human figure interacting with a solar eclipse.

Studio020620174 Corona Eclipse Day Climber
Top: Corona. 24″ x 30″, Oil on Canvas, © 2016 Cedar Lee Bottom: Eclipse Day Climber. 30″ x 30″, Oil on Canvas, © 2017 Cedar Lee

But you can see how I’m playing around with point of view, distances and the scale of the human figure in relation to the rest of the scene.

Eclipse Day Climber. 30" x 30", Oil on Canvas, © 2017 Cedar Lee
Eclipse Day Climber. 30″ x 30″, Oil on Canvas, © 2017 Cedar Lee

The painting continues around the very deep edges of the canvas, including the contrasting textures of the sky and the mountains.

Eclipse Day Climber. 30" x 30", Oil on Canvas, © 2017 Cedar Lee
Eclipse Day Climber. 30″ x 30″, Oil on Canvas, © 2017 Cedar Lee

The wrap-around effect of the textured paint adds even more boldness to this original painting!

Cedar Lee in studio with Eclipse paintings. Left: "Eclipse Day Climber" Right: "A Dream of Joy and Sorrow"
Cedar Lee in studio with Eclipse paintings. Left: “Eclipse Day Climber” Right: “A Dream of Joy and Sorrow”

 

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