Seascapesoil paintings inspired by nature

Nicole LamotheFinal Review, April 30th, 2012

© 2012. Nicole Lamothe retains sole copyright to all images and text contained within this book.

Cover image: Array, 42x36, oil on canvas, 2011

This is a brief excerpt from his teachings, including his diagram of

Nature-Artist-Creation.

TERMS:

NATURE:

the source of all inspiration.

Whether the artist works directly from nature, from memory, or

from fantasy, nature is always the source of his creative impulses.

THE ARTIST:

an agent in whose mind mature is transformed into a new creation.

The artist approaches hes problems from a metaphysical standpoint.

His intuitive faculty of sensing the inherent qualities of things

dominates his creative instinct.

CREATION:

a synthesis, from the artist's standpoint of matter, space and color.

Creation is not a reproduction of observed fact.

ON THE AIM AND NATURE OF ART

The aim of art, so far as one can speak of an aim at all, has always been

the same; the blending of experience gained in life with the natural qualities of the art medium. Artistic

intuition is the basis for confidence of the spirit. Art is a reflection of the spirit, a result of introspection,

which finds expression in the nature of the art medium.

A work of art is a world in itself reflecting senses and emotions of the artist's world.

Seascapes

Shoreline, was the first finished piece in this series. As the waves continually meet the shore, an explosion of color

takes place. It is in the reflections and shadows of the moving water and waves that inspired this painting. I had to open my

eyes to color. As soon as I saw the orange color of sunset reflected in the fragmented bits left behind by the ocean waves, I

new there had to violet; there was. I started recording this color information and began composing the sketch for my first

piece. I worked in this manner outlining the composition for Aggregate and Emergence. As the day progressed into night,

shifts in color began to happen. The water became darker, the color reflections more vibrant in comparison. I welcomed this

wealth information.

I wanted to produce a

different feeling with the paintings

Setting Point and Rhythm.

Spaciousness was my first

intention. Secondly, calm and

introspection. As I painted Setting

Point, I focused on combining the

endless horizon, with the vertical

effects of light. Rhythm, embodies

movement, with its horizontal

orientation and the calm, slow

rolling waves.

Sun Shower is a representation of

movement. The falling water being pulled

back to earth after the crushing impact

against the rocks, pier and land.

In Luminous Shift, I created a sense of passing time, from left to right, day to night,

as the sun dips below the horizon. The blue-violet is the shift our eyes experience

looking away from the orange cast of the sun. To me, the overwhelming aspect of the

coastal environment invokes a feeling of how small we are. In comparison to the natural

world, humans can't affect the cycles and rhythms of nature. These cycles are ceaseless.

I worked with balance and

movement while creating shifting

points of view to create mystery in

Between Tides. Movement is

alluded to through the suggestion

of time, between tides. Mystery is

suggested because it is difficult to

pinpoint the moment at which the

tides change. The red-orange is

symbolic of the sun, as it moves

below the horizon.

Contrast within the space of the canvas is another important aspect of my work.

Distant Morning illustrates several contrasts: light and dark, distance, spaciousness and

compression, while alluding to the horizontal nature of landscape. Array, communicates

distance and perspective. An arrangement of colorful organic shapes, creating depth and

space.

Array, 2011 oil on canvas 42x36 inches

Distant Morning, 2011 oil on canvas 24x48 inches

Between Tides, 2011 oil on canvas 56x48 inches

Aggregate, 2011 oil on canvas 28x48 inches

Luminous Shift, 2011 oil on canvas 30x50 inches

Shoreline, 2011 oil on canvas 32x60 inches

Rhythm, 2011 oil on canvas 36x54 inches

Setting Point, 2011 oil on canvas 50x40 inches

Emergence, 2011 oil on canvas 30x54 inches

Sun Shower, 2011 oil on canvas 60x50 inches