During the fires last month, when the air quality in Southern California was "Hazardous", artists were painting "en plein aire" on the grounds of the University of Redlands as part of their centennial celebration. On one of those afternoons, I went inside the chapel, to get a view of the light and space from the balcony. Sitting up there, I listened to first a flutist, and secondly an organist, come in and play to an empty house. The acoustics of the building are spectacular; listening to the chords and tone of the Casavant Opus 1230 organ rising to the rafters lifted my spirits as well as my brushes! This is an 18 x 24 inch acrylic on board that showcases the stained glass, the stage area and the organ on the left. Both the grand and baby grand pianos were on the platform as well.I used mostly my earth colors (burnt umber, yellow ochre, and burnt sienna) to facilitate the unity of the interior, then pulled out all the stops to create the luminescent windows above. The contrast of those pure colors against the muted earths inevitably pulls the viewer to the beauty and glow of the stained glass.
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