Title: It Was a Dry October
Artist: Cathryn Cooper
Medium & Materials: Acrylic and graphite on canvas
Dimensions: 24" × 24"
This light-filled square abstract landscape captures a shallow New England mountain stream during a prolonged autumn drought. The work evokes atmospheric dust and lingering heat as a broad, exposed creek bed winds between banks of parched orange foliage beneath a high, pale blue-and-white midday sky.
Gallery Description
In It Was a Dry October, contemporary abstract landscape painter Cathryn Cooper presents a radiant, tactile seasonal study on a commanding 24" × 24" square canvas. Rather than emphasizing deep, dark water channels, she focuses on the sun-bleached shelves of an exposed riverbed. The lower half becomes a study in reflected light and organic pattern: long horizontal strokes of pale cerulean, silver-white, and champagne cream describe a broad, shallow mountain stream mirroring the open sky. Along the right edge, vertical pools of cadmium orange and copper-gold add vivid bands of reflection.
The landscape’s structural foundation spans the central midground. Ancient granite slabs, smooth river boulders, and gravel bars form a broad horizontal tier, rendered in direct palette-style passes of slate gray, lavender-tinted silver, and warm ochre. These dry, exposed surfaces reinforce the scene's drought-stricken character. Behind them, slender bare tree trunks create a rhythmic vertical screen that anchors the forest wall.
Cathryn crowns the woodland with layered passages of copper orange, burnt sienna, and warm rust, set against a high canopy of pale periwinkle blue and airy white cloud streaks. Fine calligraphic graphite lines score the wet surface, defining individual twigs, stone crevices, and water ripples while preserving the artist’s hand. The result is an intimate study of New England stillness and seasonal change, well suited as a centerpiece in a contemporary fine art collection.
Style & Composition
- Artistic Style: Abstract Impressionism, lyrical abstraction, and expressive tonal landscape painting.
- Composition: A horizon-guided square layout organized in horizontal tiers: shallow stream in the foreground, exposed granite shelves in the midground, and a forest wall in the background. A dense vertical grid of slender tree trunks provides structural balance.
- Focal Point: The central opening along the main water channel, where cadmium-orange foliage meets pale silver river stones and high-contrast graphite marks.
- Color Palette: A rich autumn spectrum of copper orange, burnt sienna, and molten gold, balanced by periwinkle and slate blue, pale champagne cream, and crisp silver gray.
- Lighting & Atmosphere: Bright midday light filters through high clouds, casting short, saturated shadows across the rocks and creating a crisp, nostalgic countryside mood.
Application & Stylistic Technique
- Brushwork & Mark-Making: Broad transparent washes and underglazes establish luminous atmospheric depth. Direct palette-style sweeps build the flat stone planes, while fine calligraphic graphite lines articulate branches, rock details, and water movement.
- Layering & Depth: Overlapping planes and strong value contrasts create convincing recession. Dark water contours and crisp stone silhouettes advance toward the viewer, while the softly blended blue forest recedes into atmospheric distance.
- Materials & Tools: Heavy-body and fluid acrylic mediums are combined with premium water-soluble graphite on fine-grain stretched canvas. Wide flat bristle brushes and script liners preserve raw surface texture and fluid, organic movement across the panel.
Inventory Status: Available for purchase online or in the gallery.
Shipping / Pickup: Shipping is available, securely packaged with professional archival materials, insured, and shipped globally; complimentary local pickup is also available at our 23 North Main Street gallery.
