Debbie Lund - Western Art - Print

"The Crossing "
Print - $25.00 **NEW**

The Crossing

Some local friends of ours gave me some photos quite a few years ago. One in particular really caught my eye so I set it aside for … later. Well ‘later’ happened about a year and a half ago and I thought I would give it a try… what a mess, landscapes proved to be a bit much than what I had anticipated. I set it aside once again for… later.

About 6 months ago I was enrolled in a 6-week, one-on-one art course and I thought ‘Perfect I’ll bring my mess!’ Bad idea… on the 2nd week I thought it would be best to start another one but this time in acrylics. How could I possibly fail under the supervision of a great art teacher? Well… I failed miserably! So out came the gesso and two new scary white boards faced me and once again I put them aside for … later.

This was a real growing time for me. I was a sponge and learned everything I could about color, harmony, composition, rhythm, and whatever else this poor, overwhelmed, new and struggling artist desperately needed to learn. With a high focus on the ‘overwhelmed!’ I simply came to the conclusion of defeat with this particular western art portrait, and that there are times when a piece just doesn’t come together as easily as other portraits do and just to not worry about it. Just be patient and the answers will soon come. But most of all, I learned that alot of other artists struggle with this challenge as well.

Then one day, just a few months ago, I pulled out that vast and scary stark-white gessoed board and thought, ‘Hey… I can do this!’ And the knowledge and teaching that I have gone through over the past few years just simply came together and I managed to create this peaceful moment of ‘Steve and his love for the outdoors’ and that quiet drifting, that one person experiences while riding his horse through the beautiful, peaceful stillness of the western wilderness.

So really, ‘The Crossing’ is not so much about a cowboy, his horse and his dog crossing a river. But for me personally it is about a struggling artist with an image and the desire to make it happen. The answer is to just let go of the details and allow the answers of a problem to cross over to me, the artist.