The conceptualization for Light in the Forest began with a desire to experiment with metallic colours. Adding blue to my palate helped the silver and gold pop. As I developed a theme that would complement the golds and silvers on my palate, I felt that a mythology based theme would work well. In this painting the viewer is peering into a forest clearing, where nymphs are dancing. As they dance they bring life and light to the night forest around them, which baths the forest in hues of gold and silver.
I started this painting expecting that I would finish it before medical school, but as it was I started school a semester earlier than I originally planned, and didn't finish the painting. When I began clinical rotations, I thought that I would have more time to paint, so I took the painting with me from city to city, as I traveled to each rotations. I quickly learned that I would not have as much time as I had anticipated, and it took me the whole remainder of my medical education to finish the piece. I sketched the piece and painted the background in Salt Lake City, UT, my home. Then I made background adjustments in New York City and Detroit. The forest was painted at my parents home in Saint George, UT, at my brother's home in Salt Lake City, and in Shreveport Louisiana. I painted nymphs in New York City, Cleveland, and finally finishing the painting at my brother's home in Salt Lake City.
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| From my sketchbook to the canvas. |
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| Staining the canvas. |
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| Painting the night sky. |
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| Painting the forest floor, which I repainted three times in three cities. |
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| Sketching in oil tree branches. |
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| I painted the foreground trees with a palate knife. Here the foliage is done in silver and pewter mixed with ivory black. |
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| Painting the tree trunks with a combination of gold, Renaissance gold, and burnt umber. |
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| My beautiful wife is painting a miniature version of my painting, although she says her nymphs will be clothed. |
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| Mixing skin tones was an uncharted territory for me, and I spent many hours sitting at my palate mixing paints. In the end, I felt I did reasonably well for my first attempt at painting the human form. Upon completion, I gave this painting to my brother, Steven King. |
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"Light in the Forest" 2016
Oil on Canvas |
