Title: Roses at the Fells
Artist: Sara Rae
Medium & Materials: Heavy-body impasto oil paint on premium linen panel
Dimensions: 9" x 12"
Inspired by the historic estate gardens at The Fells on New Hampshire’s Lake Sunapee, “Roses at the Fells” captures a mature summer rose hedge in full bloom. Dense green foliage, sculptural pink and crimson roses, and a breezy blue sky give this original impressionist landscape a lively garden presence.
Gallery Description
In “Roses at the Fells,” regional impressionist Sara Rae explores the color and texture of a summer garden in a 9" x 12" horizontal format. Expressive palette-knife work and heavy impasto emphasize oil paint's sculptural qualities rather than precise realism.
The rose hedge fills the lower two-thirds of the panel. Short, multidirectional strokes of deep viridian, forest green, and chartreuse-lime build layers of foliage and shadow. Raised paint ridges add physical texture that catches the light.
Roses at different stages of bloom spread across the hedge, shifting from soft pinks to vivid reds. On the left and below, full English roses take shape through swirling ridges of bubblegum pink, blush rose, and creamy titanium white. As the hedge rises toward the right, crimson, magenta, and scarlet blooms deepen the color.
A sweeping New England sky frames the flowers and foliage. Long, fluid strokes of pale periwinkle and lavender-blue across the upper third suggest fresh, windswept mountain air. Saturated color and varied paint textures give this original horizontal painting a distinctive presence for collectors drawn to expressive garden landscapes.
Style & Composition
- Artistic Style: Contemporary Impressionism with heavy impasto and an expressive tonal approach to landscape.
- Composition Type: A horizontal layout guided by the horizon and the rose hedge’s rising diagonal. Dense foliage fills the lower two-thirds, balanced by an open sky that suggests the garden’s untamed scale.
- Focal Point: The central area where chartreuse foliage, bright crimson roses, and the luminous periwinkle sky meet.
- Color Palette: Scarlet red, bubblegum pink, and chartreuse-lime, balanced by deep viridian green, pale periwinkle blue, and soft lavender highlights.
- Lighting & Atmosphere: Bright midday summer light illuminates the rose blooms and deepens the shadows within the hedge, creating a fresh, peaceful garden atmosphere.
Application & Stylistic Technique
- Impasto Mark-Making: Loose, layered palette-knife strokes, raised peaks, and unblended dabs of color give the roses and foliage sculptural dimension while retaining the energy of the artist’s gestures.
- Texture Overlays: Glossy impasto peaks on the rose petals contrast with dry-brushed scumbling in the periwinkle sky and short, choppy strokes in the dense foliage.
- Substrate Choice: A rigid linen panel provides firm support for the heavy impasto layers, allowing raised paint strokes to retain their dimensional presence.
