Rubato

Rubato, Acrylic, 5x11

This little painting (an awkward 5x11) was supposed to be a quick, two day project. I'm trying to increase productivity, loosen up, and ditch the desire to treat as precious any little mark or doodle that comes together nicely. But as these things go, you get to noodling and two days turn into twelve. One step at a time, I guess.

Since it was supposed to be a small project, I jumped in with little more thought than “I'd like to paint a tree with a person leaning against it.” But by the end it seemed to speak of loss—or longing—and a paradoxical play between timelessness and fast approaching endings. So, rubato, a musical term for a few measures “robbed of time” when a musician may play faster or slower, seemed a fitting title.

For those who are interested in process the pictures below show the piece at earlier stages. The form of the tree changed a bit in the painting and it's root structure became a little more robust. The sky, too, changed a bit in hue, value, and saturation (although I think some of what is visible in the pictures below is the result of inconsistent photography).