Jason Sawtelle – Canoe Paintings
Here’s a good way to make your paintings more gestural and uncontrived…paint from a canoe. Artist, illustrator and muralist Jason Sawtelle took up the challenge of painting the unique perspective of being on the water earlier this year. You can see how he strapped his French Resistance pochade box to the seat of the canoe.
“Over the winter I saw a video shot from inside a canoe that captured this feeling – which made me eager to get back on the water myself, but even more so, I couldn’t wait to paint this viewpoint. Rather than take pictures and paint from the photos though, I decided it would be best to capture the real feeling by actually painting in the canoe!
Between the motion of the boat, wrestling with weather and the impossibility of being able to comfortably sit on the floor – I discovered that I need to paint much looser than I usually do. I have found that the result is a look that gets at the feeling of the view and the day but also the process.”
He did a series of nine oil paintings, 12″x16″, and he’s looking forward to doing it again this fall when the leaves turn.
Sarah Judson
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