Summer Sunsets // About Nature, Color & Art
These last day days of summer have been beautiful, sunny, hot, maybe a little too humid, but the way summer should be. Summer has its own unique light, the skies are a range of blues, the days are long and the nights begin with sunsets that vary in color and intensity. As the night falls, the sky can be filled with reds, pinks, purples and oranges. Artists have always drawn inspiration from the incredible light show from summer sunsets. Artworks, paintings or photographs, representational or abstract are a wonderful way to bring art into your home to evoke a time, a season, a place that is meaningful. Here are a few RE artworks that capture these radiant nights.
Sunsets vary in color, from day to day and season to season. Perhaps we tend to enjoy them more in the summer months, because we spend more time outdoors, our days are longer, often extending well into the night. We make the time in these months to live outdoors, there's more social time and travel. And now that its almost over....it feels like we're holding on to each moment, just a little longer. Skywave, by Barbara Erdmann An article in the Huffington Post gave, " 7 Reasons You Should Make Time For a Sunset". Following the lead of their president and editor-in-chief, Arianna Huffington and her recent book, THRIVE, the article enumerates reasons why we should slow down and savor the moment. They quote, "Nature is fuel for the soul," Richard Ryan, Ph.D., lead author of the studies, said in a statement. "Often when we feel depleted we reach for a cup of coffee, but research suggests a better way to get energized is to connect with nature.” The calm, the colors, the quiet and natural beauty of nature, all help us to feel healthy and energized. A South Carolina sunset by artist John Duckworth Skylight, a minimalist photo filled with awesome natural color by photographer Barbara Erdmann, has much of the spectrum of sunset colors in one imageRed has the longest wavelength, and so I learned, there is truth to the saying, “Red sky at night, sailor's delight; red sky in morning, sailors take warning." A pure red light means the skies are clear, there are less particles or density in the air. Fiery, by ErdmannNYC sunsets made the "Top Ten for Best Summer Sunsets", in National Geographic. In the New York Harbor at night, “Lady Liberty looks just that much more elegant with the sunset at her back…The views east dazzle as well, as the sun’s fading light reflects softly off the glass and steel skyscrapers of Lower Manhattan”. NYC at Night, by Peter Massini
Earlier this summer I met aerial photographer Massini, while scouting NYC skyline photos for a project in Manhattan. Peter shoots from a helicopter in and around the city. I love his perspective of NYC's new skyline, with a variety of stunning images including the Freedom Tower. At sunset, Night SkylineSome days this summer, my Instagram feed has been filled with amazing photos of sunsets - on beaches, coasts, lakes and mountains. Here are a few posts from creative women I follow. Laurette Kittle, of Walker and Wade, is "ocean-minded", she lives on the water in Greenwich, CT and documents her often daily boat rides , during both sunrise and sunset, with her photographer husband, Kit Kittle
Design and style blogger Stacey Bewkes, of Quintessence, posted gorgeous shots while in NantucketThese gorgeous photos prompted me to look further, I found #SunsetsofInstagram, with over 29,000 pics from around the world. And this was just one of many sunset hashtags...
Abstract artists interpret the summer sky in their unique expressionistic styles. The common thread is color and varying degrees of intensity. I love the vibrant oranges in West , an oil painting, by Anne RaymondArtist Kerri Rosenthal captures the colors in varying hues, from the brights of Summer Holidayto a quieter abstract seascape, SerenityI work with several photographers who create Abstract Seascapes and Landscapes. Like a painter, their techniques and therefore results are different. This genre of artwork has become popular with RE customers. A love of nature, color and the memories that this type of artwork evokes. Westchester resident Stefan Radtke elegantly captures the colors of the local Long Island Sound. Interior designer Carolyn Botz, of Fountain Interiors, recently installed First Light #8, in her home
CT based Erdmann is known for her seascapes and abstract natural images. From the strong red image I noted earlier to this more mellow summer sky, her work beautifully captures moments to relate to.John Duckworth's Abstract Landscape Collection is a study of the stunning natural land and seascapes in and around the marshes and coastline near Johns Island, South Carolina . This image of Stono River, was taken in one of his 'secret' spots, one of the many places he returns to capture the light as it changes through the day and the seasons A good friend and client, originally from Charleston, installed Duckworth's Church Creek in her Westchester home. The artwork brings the saturated colors and beauty of her Southern memories north to the elegant entry of her Westchester home
Kit Kittle has a number of sunset images in his two series, Bubbles and Buddhas. This image was taken from a boat on the Mekong River in Laos, Cambodia, where Kit captured two fleeting moments, the sun as it dips just below the horizon, and the bubble as it expands, in the instant just before it bursts
and from his Enchantment Series, Buddha and the MoonIn Enchantment, Kittle's book, this accompanies the photo;
"For my part, I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream." - Vincent Van Gogh
The light, the sky, sunsets and starry nights....are all part of summers' beauty. I hope you agree that these artists each capture, in their unique perspectives, the natural beauty we see and experience daily.
I hope you enjoy the last days and nights as summer 2015 makes it's colorful exit.
