Before the sun goes down 1996

Eyvind Earle made "Before the sun goes down" with a beautiful use of color. The process of building up these luminous layers must have been so meditative. Looking at the tree in the foreground, notice how the surface is teeming with color, like it's been kissed by a rainbow. These aren’t blended hues but distinct dabs and dashes of vibrant color. This area gives the painting an almost tactile quality, as if you could reach out and feel the texture of the bark beneath the paint. The shadows cast a deep blue across the hills, and the stark contrast with the vivid colors gives the painting a dreamlike feel. Earle reminds me of Rousseau in some ways, as both artists create these stylized landscapes, but in Earle's case, there's a unique clarity and precision. His work invites us to slow down and appreciate the magic of the natural world, even as we acknowledge the artifice of its representation.