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Valley Forge No. 2
oil on paper, 15 x 11 inches, 2003
Private collection
A week or so after I painted Valley Forge No. 1, we returned to
the park. When I go out painting with my husband — who is also an artist, it is like bringing
along my own personal art critic. Now, I welcome criticism and often request guidance. But some times
it is hard to hear; often I know what he is saying is right but I don’t want to wipe out all that
work or make the effort to make the changes needed.
With this painting, we had a long discussion about the light marks through the trees in the center of
the painting. He thought I should put them in because they were interesting and helped described the
distance beyond the crest of the hill, but I was afraid they would be distracting, or the viewer would
not know what it was. That light area in the midst of all that darkness might come forward too much
and the viewer would not get the sense of distance.
But if you put your finger over the light patch, the painting is not as interesting without it; the composition
works much better with it there. As much as I hate to admit it, he was right.
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All Images and Text © Kate Kern Mundie 2005
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