As a painter, one of my goals is to produce a well-drawn painting that is arranged so that the viewer’s eye is drawn in to the focal area and moved around the piece. I take a lot of time with my initial drawing, because I feel that this is an integral part of every painting. Without it, the work falls apart, even to a viewer who has had no artistic training. I do not believe that a good painting just “happens;” it is the result of planning, hard work and a strong structural beginning with a very accurate drawing. I always do small compositional sketches before I begin a painting, whether I’m painting outdoors or in my studio. I’ve found that the more satisfied I am with my preliminary sketch, the easier my painting process is because I’ve worked out most of the problems beforehand.
However, my major goal is to evoke a feeling in people who view my paintings – peacefulness or calm serenity, happiness or nostalgia. I want to depict a place that the viewer wants to be, and I do this by concentrating on “painting the light” or “painting the mood” throughout my painting process rather than painting the things. I try to capture the moment in time that I felt when I experienced the subject by thinking about it constantly while I paint. If I can convey the things that I felt when I experienced the subject and convey my excitement, I’m happy about the work and ready to go try to make my next painting an even better one.

www.cecyturner.com

cecy.turner@juno.com