Artwork Details
Title: High Summer
Artist: Mary Bourdon
Medium: Watercolor on paper
Dimensions: 12" x 15"
Description
High Summer is a radiant plein-air watercolor that captures the heat, glare, and stillness of a late-summer afternoon. The composition follows a sunlit two-lane country road as it cuts through a rolling rural landscape, with a loose yellow centerline drawing the eye to a small vehicle in the distance.
To the right, mature roadside trees rise in dense washes of moss green, mustard yellow, and golden ochre, suggesting the first shift from peak summer toward early autumn. On the left, a rustic red barn anchors the mid-ground against distant hills and a dark tree line. Bourdon leaves portions of the road nearly untouched, allowing the white of the paper to evoke the blinding reflection of summer sun on hot asphalt, while soft cloud washes add a humid atmospheric calm.
Composition and Visual Elements
- Linear perspective: The central roadway leads the viewer’s eye into the distance, where a lone vehicle disappears toward the horizon.
- High-summer glare: Pale washes and exposed paper on the road suggest the washed-out brightness of midday sun reflecting off hot pavement.
- Seasonal color shift: Deep Forest greens blend with warm mustard and golden-ochre washes, hinting at the earliest transition from summer to autumn.
- Rural architecture: The weathered red barn grounds the scene with a classic New England agricultural presence.
