Jill McGannon

Up before dawn, I’m standing on the edge of the marsh with the sun coming up, bathing the tops of the trees with a warm glow.  There’s a cool cast shadow on the marsh grass, and it’s all reflected in the water.  The quiet is broken only by an egret fishing nearby.  I try to paint slow enough to keep my darks transparent and cooler and my lights opaque and warm, but fast enough to finish the painting before the light changes. Every now and then my concentration is broken for a second as I look around to make sure there aren’t any alligators around! The light has changed now, but I’m finished.  I leave with my painting and a sense of satisfaction.  I’ve learned something new today, some subtle color or value change, or drawing correction that I didn’t notice the last time I painted plein air. There are so many beautiful things in the world, that I never run out of things to paint! Whether it’s a painting of my daughter, a still life, or a landscape of one of my favorite painting destinations in Georgia or Italy, I never tire of trying to capture the magical beauty of light.

* This statement has been provided directly by the artist in association to their 15^th International ARC Salon entries. This content has not been edited for typos or grammatical errors and has not been vetted for accuracy.