“The landscape that is the subject of my painting is located in a rural area close to where I live,” says Rukiye Garip. “It is one of my sources of inspiration where I feel the soothing, provocative, and invigorating qualities of nature at the same time.
“I am inspired by the stones and reflections that appear under water. The similar textures, organic masses, and details that I use in my work represent the natural life and the connections between the creations of nature. Stones appearing through clear, clean water, the remains of plants, and the sky and trees reflected in the water remind me of he cycle of life, perfect harmony, unity, sharing, and love.
“In creating this work, I removed details that did not correspond to my feelings about the scene and made additions to tell the story I wanted to convey. I composed the piece using six different photographs I took on a cool autumn day. I used the salt effect in the textured areas, and concealer masking fluid for the white shimmery areas.
“At the beginning, after using the wet-in-wet technique on the wet ground in the first layer, I applied the water, tree trunks, stones, and rocks in accordance with the textural characteristics of each section. For the rocks, I applied wet brushstrokes on the dry surface and used salt effects. It took me five days to complete the panting, including the drawing.”
Rukiye Garip won Third Place in the September PleinAir Salon with “Creek,” and Best Water with “Ripples of Raindrops.”
