"Leap" 5x7 inch oil painting on wood panel

“Leap” an original oil painting by Melanie Fenton

**This painting has not yet sold but it is unavailable for purchase via my website because it is on display at the Penticton Art Gallery for the Under 500 Exhibition and Sale November 20, 2020 - January 24, 2021. If you are local to the Okanagan I encourage you to go see it in person!

The distinctive cliffs along highway 97 between Penticton and Summerland always leave me awestruck. They look almost out of place, the pale beige earth plunging straight down to the narrow strip of highway that separates them from the lake. I’d never encourage anyone to leap from a cliff, but maybe into the cool blue waters of a lake. Leap bravely and with intention.

Size: 5” x 7” x 1.5”

Medium: Oil paint on cradled wood panel. Initialed on the front, signed and titled on the back. Ready to hang.

About the Roadside Series:

Each of the reference photos for these paintings was taken from the inside of a fast moving vehicle. The photographs are blurred or seen through a bug-smattered windshield, the compositions are imperfect, but the beauty and emotion of that instant are preserved, in the image and in my mind. Ever since I began painting regularly almost a year ago I have found new joy in road trips and even just mundane errands. There are always lovely clouds to see, or moody storms, or incredible landscapes that are only glimpsed for a split-second, but remain in my head and in my heart. I always love capturing those feelings in a painting. The photo snapped at 100kph is never very good but my memory can recreate it in a more special way than even the most carefully taken photograph.

As a way to explore these imperfect images and truly give life to them, this series is created in a semi-abstract style using only palette knife marks. This method is meticulous in preparation and fast in execution. Wood panels are carefully sealed, prepared, and painted with a coloured ground. Paint colours are carefully mixed in advance to allow the painting process to unfold in one sitting and each mark is made purposefully because painting over mistakes is not an option in this style of work.

 This is the final painting of the Roadside Series.

**Please note that currently all prices are in US Dollars.

*SHIPPING to US or Canada: select “Small Original Painting” at checkout.

As these paintings are being released as they are finished, please allow 2+ weeks for the painting to fully dry and for me to carefully pack and ship your order and an additional 1-2 weeks for delivery via Canada Post. All orders are shipped with tracking.

Contact me directly for inquiries about international shipping.

Copyright: Melanie Fenton retains all rights to the artwork. Artwork may not be resold or reproduced for profit in any way without the artist's written permission.