{"product_id":"tahoe-dusk","title":"Tahoe Dusk","description":"\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(192, 156, 12);\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEvening Silhouettes\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eA few years ago, I began exploring sunrises and sunsets because I had always believed they were meant to be seen, not painted. I wanted to understand why I felt that way — and whether it was actually true.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eWhen traveling to make color sketches in nature, \u003cstrong\u003eI began each day and ended each evening by trying to capture those brief moments of extreme color whenever I could.\u003c\/strong\u003e Like many people, I had photographed beautiful sunsets only to look at the photograph later and wonder why it seemed so different from what I had experienced in person.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 dir=\"ltr\"\u003eWhat the Camera Misses\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eTo understand that difference, \u003cstrong\u003eI began exploring how human vision compares with the limitations of a camera.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eA camera has difficulty capturing the full range of tones we perceive between deep shadow and brilliant light. \u003cstrong\u003eWith a sunset, exposing for the intense colors in the sky can cause the darker areas to become completely black, eliminating detail that our eyes can still perceive.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eOur eyes work differently. Rods are primarily sensitive to light and dark, while cones allow us to perceive color. Working together, they give us the ability to perceive a remarkable range of color and tonal information simultaneously.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eOver several years of study and experimentation,\u003cstrong\u003e I came to understand that a sunset can indeed be interpreted with paint, or with a medium such as \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/craigmitchellart.com\/blogs\/news\/inside-the-art-of-nevada-block-printing-how-craig-mitchell-brings-the-landscape-to-life\" title=\"Inside the Art of Nevada Block Printing: How Craig Mitchell Brings the Landscape to Life\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"\u003elinoleum block printing\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/strong\u003e The darker areas need to remain slightly open so that detail survives, while the colors need to be harmonized by a common underlying tone.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe Interaction of Opposites\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThere's another phenomenon that makes \u003cem\u003eTahoe Dusk\u003c\/em\u003e particularly effective. \u003cstrong\u003eWhen opposing colors such as blue and orange meet along an edge, they can appear to intensify one another. \u003c\/strong\u003eThis is known as simultaneous contrast, a principle explored extensively by the French Impressionists. The same relationship is connected to complementary afterimages, the familiar effect of seeing the opposite color after staring at a strong color for a period of time.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOnce I learned to use this principle intentionally, I felt that my work changed for the better.\u003c\/strong\u003e Today, I find it difficult to make art without considering the interaction of opposites.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 dir=\"ltr\"\u003eFrom Study to Print\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eTahoe Dusk\u003c\/em\u003e grew out of that exploration. A blue, snowcapped mountain sits beneath a yellow-orange sky, which is reflected across the lake. Pines in the foreground are silhouetted against the light, with small areas of detail intentionally left open within the dark forms.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 dir=\"ltr\"\u003eWhat This Print Taught Me\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eI started out trying to prove that a sunset shouldn't be painted. I ended up learning how to paint one, and how to carve one. The answer wasn't in copying the sky more faithfully than a camera could. \u003cstrong\u003eIt was in understanding how we actually see: keeping the darks alive, tying the colors together, and letting blue and orange do what they naturally do to each other along an edge.\u003c\/strong\u003e That lesson now shows up in nearly everything I make.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe print is made from \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003efive hand-carved linoleum blocks\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, each designed, carved, inked, and printed by Craig Mitchell. It is printed on \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e100% cotton Rives BFK paper\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, made in France by the Arches Paper Mill and prized by printmakers for its permanence and exceptional surface.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEach print is conservation framed under glass with hand-rubbed ebony walnut molding and is \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eready to ship within 24 hours\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEdition:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e 100\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eImage size:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e 12\" × 12\", with a generous margin\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFramed size:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e 20 1\/8\" W × 20 3\/4\" H\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"craigmitchellart","offers":[{"title":"Framed","offer_id":49051789787328,"sku":null,"price":729.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Unframed","offer_id":49051789820096,"sku":null,"price":550.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0616\/2867\/8336\/files\/TAHOE_DUSK_12_X12_CRAIG_MITCHELL.jpg?v=1789869764","url":"https:\/\/craigmitchellart.com\/products\/tahoe-dusk","provider":"craigmitchellart","version":"1.0","type":"link"}