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Sunsets
©2019 Ruth Borges
12”x40”, Acrylic on canvas |
This painting started as abstracted splashes of water in ranges of cool blue, bright green and warm yellow. I liked the flow of color, but was not sure about the composition. I can’t remember what direction it took after that. I ended up stashing it away for a few weeks. Eventually, I pulled it out, covered some of it in white, allowing areas of color to show through, then added other colors. In a few hours, switchbacks of Prussian blue, teal, fluorescent pink, fluorescent orange, yellow and white became a zig-zag collection of sunsets I’ve enjoyed by the beach. However, I didn’t know at the time that they were sunsets.
Painting with this color palette was pure joy. I was very happy with the results, and hanged the canvas on the wall. I titled it Pathways thinking it was, in a general sense, about a journey. I assumed the painting, like previous ones, would tell me more about its meaning later. Pathways quietly waited for months to speak until I took time to write about it. Finally, one day, as I reviewed the painting, and I realized it was a collection of sunsets. Still, I could see that it was, in a sense, about a pathway – the pathway of the sun toward the end of the day. Although sunrises and sunsets look alike, I was certain this painting was about sunsets only because I’m a night person living on the west coast, and I rarely see sunrises.
Watching sunsets are one of my favorite ways to chill after a long day. One afternoon, I remember glancing toward the horizon as the sun was setting, then saw clouds illuminated by the most striking range of value contrasts. What would its musical counterpart sound like? “Concierto de Aranjuez”, a classical guitar piece by Spanish composer Joaquin Rodrigo, came to mind. I imagine God putting together a glorious color palette, then swiftly outlining cloud contours, defining gradations, perfectly placing subtle tones exactly where they need to be, then belting out the most stunning color harmonies across the sky. I’ve also enjoyed quiet sunset skies without a single cloud floating anywhere – only a smooth, soothing gradation of soft blue toward a warm gleaming yellow-orange – a peaceful pause before calling it a day.
Joaquin Rodrigo’s classical guitar piece:
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