Description Essay

by Kate Crawford

Last weekend I went to my old Art teachers opening in Brooklyn heights. Laurie Fader, a truly remarkable artist covered the room with landscape oil paintings. The colors, variety and detail was quite amazing. There was one landscape in particular called "field in north Salem" that caught my eye. At a glance it looked like an ordinary landscape of a field but as one looks deeper within the painting, you can almost feel yourself in the setting. "Field in North Salem" is a painting that displays much more then the subject, It shows the chilly wind on a brisk morning. You can feel the bumps while walking up the old dirt road. Trees from the right and left are moving as though they are dancing in the wind. The amount of different colors was hard to believe from the distance but up close one could notice the array of pallet used in this painting. From a far it looked as though the painting had nothing but a few greens. The sky was almost overwhelming with its powerful clouds shifting across the deep blue sky. Due to living in the city, at times I forget the wonderful fields and trees that lay a bit beyond Manhattan. When seeing this painting It was as though, all stress and all noise had been erased. It was just me and the painting. The painting was taking me on a journey away from reality. I was disappearing from the fast paced life a city girl lives and instead stepping inside another world. A world of peace, a world of nothing but nature. The buildings had vanished and all that was left was an old field. This field was truly euphoric. When staring deep into the eyes of the painting my body would escape. I would no longer be standing in what was called a gallery but instead in north Salem. I stood on the path of this old dirt road. Feeling the bitter wind hitting my face. The grass was soft, it bounced back up with every step I took. The hill was sloping upward leading me around a curve beyond what the painting could display. It was then that I began to wonder what was beyond the curve around the tree. Was it more woods, more peace,? Or was it the entrance to civilization? To me this painting was more then just a painting. It was an escape. It let one disappear into the massive paint that created this wonderful picture. It let one forget, taking all problems and tossing them away even if it was just for a second. This painting was peace. It gave me feelings that words couldn't describe. I felt as though I was alone. For just a second I was away from people. In my own world with nothing but nature surrounding me. For a painting to make you feel like that is truly amazing. Laurie had created a very successful painting. A painting that lets you escape into the paints. I have honestly never felt this way when looking at a painting. In fact once I left all I wanted to do was head back home where I could take a step away from the noise and fast pace life in New York City. This painting gave me a chance to take a deep breath and relax. It took me away from reality, letting me know how important it is to step away from my overwhelming life. The feeling of walking across a empty field on a cool brisk day is indescribable. This painting gave me that chance to escape. This was not the only painting of hers that made me feel in such away, but this is the one that really stuck in my mind after I had left her show. To be able to accomplish such a task is truly talent. This is the first time I ever felt as much passion and inspiration in ones art work.