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American Artist Showcase Your State NJ Winners


The results are in and I am happy to announce that I am one of five finalists for the American Artist Showcase Your State: New Jersey plein air competition!  To view the American Artist on-line article just click on this link -> "Showcase Your State: New Jersey Winners."  Thanks to all of you for your support and vote of confidence!  :) Congrats to the other finalists!  You rock!

FINALIST #5: DIANA K. GIBSON (from Ringwood, New Jersey)
Springtime in the NJ Highlands
by Diana K. Gibson, 2006, oil, 18 x 14

In the Words of the Artist: "The New Jersey Botanical Garden (NJBG), in Ringwood, New Jersey, is one of my favorite places to paint in the spring.  Each spring a week prior to the bloom, I drive through the NJBG observing the buds on the cherry blossom trees.  Often, the buds show no signs of blooming.  Then, as if by magic, the buds burst into flower overnight and within a week drop their petals.  I was walking about the gardens looking for a subject to paint when I spied the blossom tree.  The backlighting was simply captivating and was a perfect study of light.  For this painting I used a medium-gray-toned panel.  I began by massing in the shadows strategically, allowing for some of the tone of the panel to show through.  Next the sky was blocked in, and then the light areas were massed. I then applied the tree trunks and added the silvery highlights on the shrubs and grass. After adding the darkest shadow accent and finishing the highlights on the cherry blossom tree the painting's atmospheric light effect was solidified."


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  1. Bonnie StoryMarch 4, 2009 at 9:50 AM

    Wow, congratulations Diana! Your work on Flickr is just amazing. Hope to talk with you soon about the goings-on. Thanks so much for your good work and for being so kind and helpful!!! Bonnie

    ReplyDelete
  2. LLApril 1, 2009 at 8:18 AM

    I'm just a passer-by but enjoyed reading your blog. Well done art with a sense of transporting the viewer into the world your pigment creates.

    GREAT WORK!

    ReplyDelete

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