Leonard Russo

Michigan, USA, Eternal Light Divine, oil, 12 x 16"

Second Prize is a two-page editorial feature in American Art Collector magazine My Inspiration

The milkweed plant has long been a favorite of mine. The autumnal phase of the plant represents a perfect metaphor for life. That is, a renewal after darkness, adversity or death. I was inspired to paint a still life that represents this hope, life and eternal light. In setting up the still life, I became utterly enthralled by the way the light illuminated the silky seed filaments. It reminded me of the concept of souls rising from their lifeless vessels to eternal light. Out of darkness and despair there is eternal light and life. The painting wasn’t meant to be a statement of our current global health crisis, but in my mind, it became an unintentionally fitting metaphor for these current difficult times.

My Design Strategy

One recent autumn I brought home a milkweed stem adorned with bursting seed pods in order to paint a still life. I wanted to paint the beautiful light illuminating their delicate filaments. After many hours of adjusting the setup and lighting of the composition and after dozens of photos, I settled on a design. I used a sheet of black fabric for the background and adjusted the lighting to give the composition an almost moonlight feel. This allowed the highlighting of the seed filaments, the stars of the show, so to speak. The seeds that appear airborne are gripping the adjoining filaments. I had to be very careful to keep the set up as still as possible even redirecting the studio heating vents to prevent breezes. I then photographed it and worked from the photo and still life.

My Working Process

The painting was done using the classical academic technique. I started the painting with a detailed graphite line drawing on an oil primed linen panel. This was followed by an imprematura of thinned burnt umber. The next step was a monochrome value study using burnt umber and titanium white. The first and second paintings were then accomplished using a limited palette. Considerable time was spent working the contrast between the cool lights and warm shadows. I used a thin No. 1 liner brush for the delicate seed filaments. The “heartbeat” of the painting, for me, is where the light created a warm golden shadow area on the background filaments underneath the top seed pod.

Contact Details

Email: lennyrusso@icloud.com

Website: www.lennyrusso.com