Walking Through Deep Dark Woods Over Granite Rocks Original Oil Painting by David Beynon Pena

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Description

This vibrant, light-filled original oil painting invites us to journey deep into the pine woods of Maine. Come scramble along … Read more This vibrant, light-filled original oil painting invites us to journey deep into the pine woods of Maine. Come scramble along the majestic rocks through a verdant forest towards a destination barely glimpsed in the distance.

Set on a bright summer’s day on an island in Maine’s Penobscot Bay, our eyes are first drawn to the misty, light-filled space between the two pine trees. The tree on the left is a verdant green, while the blue spruce to the right is almost ghostly. A line of green trees stands sentinel in the background, while the lighter green trees cavort right in front of us.

The path before us isn’t smooth. It is a tumble of great rocks of tan and grey, while a marvelous rose cliff walls off one side of the path we travel. In this homage to nature, the artist’s textured brush strokes outline multiple shades of yellow, green, blue, gray, rose, and purple, allowing us to see the Maine woods as a vibrant and colorful adventure we wish to explore.

This painting brings joy and a sense of adventure to any room it inhabits.


Artist bio:

David Beynon Pena (b. 1958) was an American painter and native New Yorker who began his career painting portraits after watching Everett Raymond Kinstler demonstrate portrait painting at the National Academy. David went on to paint portraits of many distinguished leaders including U.S. Senator Howell Heflin, actor Sean Connery, dancer Gregory Hines, and Ruth Reininghaus Smith - the first woman president of the Salmagundi Club. He also painted portraits for the Hollywood films Good Will Hunting and The Preacher's Wife.

Apart from portraits, David painted landscapes and seascapes alla prima in oil and watercolor in Maine at Wooster Cove on North Haven and on Leadbetter Island, where he spent summers with his wife Alison. He typically produced two or three paintings a day, always following the light in the style of John Singer Sargent. He also painted evocative cityscapes, nudes, and still lifes, and his interiors have been compared to those of Fairfield Porter, though only a handful of those paintings remain available to the public.

David painted boldly and quickly, easily capturing the venue, likenesses and mood of his surroundings. Known for being gregarious and asking questions as he worked, he occasionally encouraged a curious child to paint a few blades of grass on his paintings.

David started painting at age 11, receiving his training at the High School of Art and Design, The Pratt Institute, the Art Students League of New York and the National Academy of Design School of Fine Arts, where he eventually became an adjunct faculty member. A brilliant teacher, David was known for his ability to explain complex ideas in accessible ways, for his portrait and landscape demonstrations, and for his participation in multiple juried shows for art associations in the Tri-state area. During his lifetime, he received over 50 national and regional awards, and served as President of the Audubon Artists Incorporated, among many other distinguished art institutions.

David read art books voraciously and was a lifelong, dedicated student of his craft. When he passed away in 2016, David had almost finished an art instruction book, Painting Portraits with a Bold Brush, to be published posthumously. See less