Fading Light on Gunflint Lake

2024
24″ x 18″ x 1.75″ (felt on canvas)
Status: Sivertson Gallery, Grand Marais, MN

Inspired by a sunset viewed from the south shore of Gunflint Lake during nautical twilight on a clear night in late April 2017. Nautical twilight is when the sun’s center is 12 degrees below the horizon, named for sailors’ ability to navigate using the stars and the horizon.

The blue and teal shades and tones comprising the sky and water took many blends and layers before striking the final palette. The navy-midnight base alone comprised at least a half-dozen shades. Piles of different blue, teal, green, yellow, orange, pink, purple, black, and gray fibers were strewn across the studio for days, and countless incremental color blends were used throughout the piece.