Imagination, Ideal Trees, Cow Geometry

Lori said...

"Erik, I'm curious as to how much of these compositions are from your imagination. I'm also wondering how you might have re-designed the tree shapes in these paintings. I've often noted that the trees I see in nature are not as elegant in form as those in HRS paintings. "

Thu Sep 22, 11:47:00 AM EDT

Koeppel, some studies of cow structure

REPLY:

Hi Lori, thank you for your comment. In the most basic sense these three paintings are entirely from the imagination as I didn't use any photos or outdoors studies as references to create them. However study from Nature played a major role in the creation of these works. When I study nature I try to study it in a way that I can remember its forms and 're-create' them. For instance, the bull in the Europa Painting wasn't done from one study of a specific bull, but I have done many studies of cows and bulls from life (and mini-sculptures) in an effort to know and understand their form (basically to have a sculptural ideal in my mind of what makes up a bull, and how it's different from other quadrupeds, and how it's the same). This is basically the way that I study all the elements in my paintings (from rocks and trees to figures and architecture to light and atmosphere). I start with a basic geometric knowledge of a thing's form, and build up to a more subtle understanding of its character. Something that I really enjoy about working in this way is that everything I study is re-usable. Rather than drawing one view of a bull in one position and one light, I now have a concept that I can continue to work with and re-combine endlessly.

Here's a study of the mathematical diminution of tree branch

Koeppel, Tree Geometry

diameter based on Da Vinci's theory that the ideal tree would have the sum of its branches (area of cross-sections) equal to the base trunk. Reducing this formula, I found that placing right triangles of different proportions in the forks of trees fits the equations and is useful for 'imagining' trees or analyzing them spatially from life.

I'd like to do another post later to more thoroughly cover tree-design, but I do re-design trees quite a bit with regard to balance and elegance. I find it very important in landscape painting that the trees express the mood or intended feeling of the painting. Something more wild and sublime would demand a tree of one character, and a pastoral would demand another. I feel that all the parts of a painting should align to support its intended expression.

So in answer, yes, I make paintings of places (mts, trees, rocks, rivers, etc.) that are imagined and do not exist, but I make every effort to understand the things that I paint in such a way as to present an Ideal Reality that could exist.

Thank you for reading. Next post will be studies from France!