"Eli's Creek, Isle au Haut" 18 x 24, oil, gold, palladium on cradled wood panel
Courtesy of Sue Charles. Used with permission
Sue Charles
An Artist-in-Residence at Acadia in 2018, Sue Charles answers four questions from visitors about her painting "Eli's Creek, Isle au Haut," which they saw on display at the Hulls Cove Visitor Center in 2019.
Maddy M. asked, "How did you give (your painting) so much texture?"
I use large chisel-shaped brushes which give the painted stroke the square shape. After I mix the color I want, I load the brush by pushing it into the paint, then apply it to the painting in one stroke, so each stroke is a deliberate mark in a specific color. If it is wrong I scrape it off and try again. It is a painstaking way to paint, but I like the way the painting resembles a mosaic when it is finished.
Caroline V. asked, How was it painted?
The surface is a wood panel, cradled in the back so it will not warp, which is necessary when using gold leaf so it doesn't crack in the future. I first apply a kind of varnish/glue called gold sizing to the places I want gold leaf, wait for it to tack off, then apply the gold leaf. Once that has dried I start painting. In some places I will paint over the gold leaf and I have a special rubber tipped tool which I use to pull the paint off the gold leaf if I need to, like between the tree trunks. I can also add more gold leaf as I work as it will also adhere to oil paint.
Where did you get your idea?
That is a hard question! Most of my ideas come from direct observation, as is the case with this one. I did a small study first, which is just a preliminary painting, and saw the sister shapes of the sky and water...that was really the crux of the painting. I also liked how the light from the sky and inlet came through the trees in varying degrees of brightness.
Zachary B. asked, Why did you choose this creek in Acadia?
Eli's Creek is directly in front of the small cabin where I stayed during my artist-in-residence at Acadia National Park. Sometimes the easiest thing is the best thing : )
