Strawberry Fields Forever
Leaving school this afternoon, I drove my Jeep out into a beautiful world, awash with Texas sunny skies and temperatures at 71 degrees with cool breezes filling the air. I slipped a Beatles Anthology CD into my player and listened to the three different renditions of Strawberry Fields Forever. I felt a sense of sadness, realizing that I miss John Lennon more now than I did in the immediate years following his untimely death. Maybe I lacked maturity in those days, but his death was a sensationalist event in the media and I never really felt the sense of sorrow and loss until much later. Now, I have trouble listening to Imagine and Strawberry Fields. As the song played, my mind’s eye was filled with this image from Stovall Park in south Arlington, Texas.
I drove to the park, got out of my Jeep and walked to this location, and as I gazed at the tree in the late afternoon sun, the muse whispered sweetly and gently into my ear, and I knew I had to give it a shot. I must say the muse was with me this time, as I felt genuine joy working on the piece, though I only lingered 45 minutes over it. I was intrigued with the darkness and density of the tree, with the sun behind it, and the contrast of the yellow, sunlit leaves in particular places. I also felt stirred at the dark lavenders and crimsons I sensed in the sprawling shadows beneath the spreading tree. The only part at which I labored the most was the dark density of the body of the tree top, trying to find the right kind of blue tones to put into the shadows. I’m not sure that I got it right, but I think I have improved over past attempts at painting trees en plen air. I hope I can find a way to do it tomorrow as well. My dreaded 4-class school schedule will hold me until nearly 3:00, but maybe I can get away quickly enough to capture the afternoon light again.
Thanks for reading.
Tags: Beatles, Druidic, Emerson, John Lennon, nature, Stovall Park, Strawberry Fields Forever
Recollections 54 The Art of David Tripp 
October 31, 2011 at 10:21 pm |
Amazing, buddy! I can’t begin to tell you how inspiring you are as an artist and friend. Color choices were perfect and mesmerizing. I find myself sitting and wondering, “How does he see that.” I hope as i continue in my study, i develop the ability to see the things you see and appreciate them to the deeper degree you do. Thanks, David!
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October 31, 2011 at 10:29 pm |
Wow, thanks David! I actually thought many of my color choices missed today. I didn’t get what I wanted. But I still enjoyed the outing. Thanks again, Buddy.
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November 1, 2011 at 11:15 am |
your words provide an interesting thought . . . ” ‘i’ didnt get what ‘i’ wanted” – i gave this some thought and wonder re: do you, as the artist, paint for you or do you paint for your audience – in my own art, if i paint for me, then all the stuff i am creating is rembrandt-ian quality – if i paint for an audience, in my mind, all my work is “paint-by-number” quality – just curious about your perspective when you paint
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November 5, 2011 at 11:05 pm |
Thanks, David. Your sentiments appear to match mine. I paint mostly for me, and when that is happening, I feel a connection with the artists who have gone before. I love the epiphanies when I feel that I have turned a corner and encountered something totally new.
When I’m painting for others I often feel that I am doing hack work–just whipping out another for the trade. I don’t draw nearly as much from that experience.
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