Wednesday, December 26, 2007

"Hopper House"

6 x 6"

oil on masonite

Back to work on my alphabet series - H for a Hopper(esque) House, inspired by a Christmas gift, a book of Edward Hopper's work. I enjoyed painting this piece so much that I'm thinking of doing a series for my upcoming show - which leads me to a request for some feedback, if you feel compelled to do so. I'm thinking of zooming in a little more on the house .... I'm not sure. Give me your thoughts?



26 comments:

Cheryl McCarley said...

Hi Karin,
Yes, zoom in!! Where? The front porch. I love how you captured all the colors around the house, especially around the porch. The warm tones welcomes anyone to the front door! Great job!!
Cheryl

Karen Jacobs said...

You'd never be satisfied with directions from the peanut gallery... why not zoom in and see how it feels to you? It might make an interesting counterpoint to paint it both ways, or even include other options. I do like the 'Hopperish' feel to the painting.

Georgette said...

Karin, as soon as I saw the painting the influence of Hopper was evident. It is the negative silence that lends itself to Hopper as well as your exquisite use of light. Remember you were inspired by a man who only wished to paint light on a wall. I like the zoom idea and think it would be a great contrast in composition to exhibit/display the whole with the sum of its parts. All would be independent works linked together by a common theme. Interesting insights for the new year!

Karin Jurick said...

YaY. Road trip tomorrow. I like this idea.

Steven said...

Excellent. I've been trying to get to the Hopper show at the National Gallery for several months now. Can't wait to see his stuff live.

Nice work, as always.

Anonymous said...

I like the empty space. Just my .02 Lovely as usual.

Barbara Pask said...

Karin, I love this. Whatever you do we know it will be great. I always love close up paintings of porches. Barb

Carol Marine said...

I love the house, but I personally think the sky is a very important element, and if you zoom in too much you'll lose that. On the other hand, I love everything you do, so if your instinct is to zoom in, I know it'll be great! I LOVE that sky! -Carol

Olha Pryymak said...

why no tzoom - out? More of that ~negative space~ mayb be interesting

Sarah said...

Agree with Carol, I like the space and solitaryness that the sky and ground give...love Hopper, great plan...do more,

Anonymous said...

Very nice. I like the idea of a series

Pattie Wall said...

Hi Karin! Great piece! I agree with the porch. You can do so much with shadow and lighting, it would be true eye candy, as usual!

Anonymous said...

Ok, I'll agree to sit on the fence here.

I think a show could benefit from both types of compositions. For me, I admire the shadows offered in the porch with highlights, subtle reflected light, blue shadows, details of form.

I also admire the expansive open space that this farmhouse-like home appears it could be sitting on.

Can you include both types in the exhibit?

Anonymous said...

We visited the Hooper exhibition at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Christmas Eve. There are 48 oils (my favorites) and 34 watercolors. It was a joy to see in person. Karin you've captured the mood well. For those close enough to visit it will be there until January 21st. It is worth the trip.

Sara said...

You are a brilliant artist!! I'm SO impressed by your paintings. /Sara, Sweden

Anonymous said...

my two cents-
i love the negative space and the stark value changes. truly looks hopperesque. and i thought i was the only one turned on my light on a city wall hhhmmphh *)

mike

Dana S. Whitney said...

Loved this from the Daily Paintworks gallery! Even more, bigger. I was reading the bio of A. Wyeth recently and he'd lopped off the top of a lighthouse... and heard passers by opining, "He must be a beginner because he didn't plan well enough to get the whole thing on the canvas." Do it YOUR way, and consider YOUR objective!

Anonymous said...

I would try either less sky or less grass. The house looks too much like a static portrait. I would not crop the house. Also, I would try lowering the value of the grass to contrast with the house and add some drama.

Anonymous said...

Like the lush look of the painting. You might suggest to the home owner they plant a tree or two.

indiaartist said...

You are inspiring as usual. I think I am going to paint my neighbourhood after seeing this. I think after zooming in we can't see the surrounding of the house. Even though this one doesn't have trees etc. it has beautiful sky. Surroundings makes the house.
Thanks.

Jeffrey J. Boron said...

A really stunning piece Karin.I think the space around the house is a very important element in this painting. Rather than lose the space you could try positioning the house closer to one side or the other? But.....
This is very exciting stuff!!!

Jeffrey

Joyce's Art Stores said...

I too love the negative spaces and the way the house sits so solidly, all in one piece. Wonderful painting!!

Georgette said...

Karin,

What happened to the listing on ebay? One minute it was there and the next gone? Curious, as you already know how I feel about the painting.

Georgette said...

Karin, thanks for clearing up the mystery so quickly, though I don't see how using the word "inspired" should cause a problem. After all you were only stating the truth! Why not just call it Hopper House, as that says it all!

Mary Sheehan Winn said...

well, you don't want to go throwing around words like inspired, like it's nothing, y'know?

NSABOB said...

Karen, good idea the series work. Think Morandi and Robert Kulicke. Paint the subject until YOU want to stop. I have been doing series work for years just to see what the possibilities were/are.One thing about series is you will never be stuck on subjects to paint.