Imagination, Vision, Concept, Development

 I admit. I’m strange. When I see sandcranes foraging in the grass, heads bent, knees bending as they walk, tail feathers bobbing, I hear Indian tom toms and Navajo chants. That’s imagination!

In my miind, I take that image and imagine what it would look llike on canvas: colorful darks, browns, oranges and reds in the background, sandcranes foraging as a group with a pair nearby fluttering their wings and jumping in a mating dance. That’s vision (visualization).

But how to incorporate the Native American theme? I need more than color to establish a relationship. I do an internet search with the tags: "sandcrane, legends." Bingo! I find some interesting symbols and designs. Cranes are connected with water and the end of growing season. Water is symbolized with spirals and denotes cycles of life, renewal and springtime. I sketch some rough drawings and experiment on drawing paper: That is concept.

Development is the process of putting these components together on canvas. First a few sketches and preliminaries.



Some photographs for accuracy in form like the cranes above and the Native Americans below (aren't they wonderful!).

Then on to solidify my composition. I will take you through these steps over the next few weeks in their initial stages and on to the final painting.

I’m taking a risk. At this point, I’m not even certain I can turn my vision into reality. But hey, I’m a sucker for a good challenge. I’m willing to risk humiliation for the chance to see if I can turn my concept into something beautiful.


Next blog I’ll share with you the beginnings of another painting that we can follow together. I hope you’ll be back!