Hope all is well with everyone as we enter this exciting new year!

I am excitedly working on my new series on numbers – connected to seagrass habitats. I currently have four works in progress and finished the commission behind me is called Iridescence.

The Palette

The easiest way for me to deal with our long winter months in New England is to turn up the music, put all my lights on and dive into the world of color. I love coming up with endless color possibilities. There is so much to choose from; warm cool, bright dull, light dark..and if I add tonal combinations to the mix I can seriously get lost in color 🙂 Well I think I kinda do- that’s the beauty of working with color, I don’t really overthink it. 

The Canvas

In the beginning it’s all about layering light washes of color. I experiment with marks and allow colors to emerge- sometimes by overlapping sometimes more directed. This state of chaos always reminds me of being five and just exploring the sound of each brush. Its pretty amazing the different marks you can make with soft brushes versus stiff ones. The hard edges looped together with smushy soft strokes is fascinating.

 As I keep working on the canvas the  background and foreground take shape. 

This is the part of the process where everything is in constant flux. One day it can be all about the reds and the next day the reds have transitioned into violet. Its fun since there are delicate nuances that happen. The challenge becomes which parts do I keep and which ones to change. Usually with commissions I have small studies to keep me focused on the feel and general direction. Each one is unique since none of my paintings ever turn out the same. However they kinda look related if that makes sense. By the time I am finished there are areas that have been glazed with several transparent layers. Other areas are built up with impasto techniques. I enjoy drawing into the work with pencils and charcoal. The line work adds an additional layer that mimics movements we find in our oceans. Healthy seagrass meadows are brimming with life; sometimes overlapping, sometimes floating, all happening simultaneously. 

Each commission takes roughly two months to complete depending on the size. Bigger ones can take four months. For examples of my past commission please click here.

For more information  and availability on commissions please email me at nedret@nedretandre.com. 

“And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music”

Friedrich Nietzsche