Saltmarsh Solitude
18×24 inches
Acrylic on masonite
©2016 Lucinda Howe
$1,100

Solitude matters, and for some people, it’s the air they breathe. (Susan Cain)

I wish people were all trees and I think I could enjoy them then. (Georgia O’Keeffe)

I paint with other painters quite often. It’s fun to socialize and learn from others. But it’s necessary for me to spend time painting alone, both outdoors and in the studio. That’s where I’m able to concentrate and experiment. That’s where I can find my own style.

This piece is a combination of influences. I painted on location at James Island with a group of plein air painters and took photos at the time. Later in the studio, I was inspired by the image of the foreground tree against the distant foliage mass. I exaggerated the yellows of the autumn grasses to contrast with the blues and greens of the trees.

To me the lone tree represents the solitude that fuels my creative process.