Lilies Along the Edisto by Sara Jane Reynolds
Oil on canvas
24 x 24 x 2 in.
$1,600
Available through the artist
I am fortunate to live in the Lowcountry of South Carolina on Johns Island near the historic city of Charleston. This area is called lowcountry because there are no hills, just the flat coastal plain with infinite variety of swamps, marshes, tidal creeks, and freshwater and saltwater ponds. Great swaths of South Carolina are under conservation with the ACE Basin as the crown jewel. The ACE Basin is comprised of the Ashepoo, Combahee and Edisto Rivers and combines to form 250,000 acres of prime forest and wetlands. This is the rich habitat that inspires me and in which I explore with my heart and mind.
Lilies Along the Edisto is a painting that evolved from a stop on the roadside. I was driving through the rural backroads and came across this beautiful and wild space of rambling river cutting a path though the fields and creating a large lily pond, the last of fall colors just tipping the leaves.
I collect thoughts and ideas for paintings through observation and by working en plein air. I strap a knapsack on my shoulders lightly packed with oil paints, easel, water, bug spray and hat and hike into the woods, marsh or fields. My goal is to catch morning light and three to four hours of painting. I observe the colors and shapes around me and emotionally try to plug into this particular moment. Sometimes I get lost in the process and hours can slip by. It is crucial to work this way. I need to authentically experience the landscape and sensually drink it in. By submitting to this process, I can sometimes super charge my instincts and emotions. It’s never a sure thing, but I put myself in a condition to receive.
I use the oil sketches from life to inform larger works that I complete in the studio. I also use photographs for reference, but the field work is the most valuable resource for me.
My goal is to share my experience of the landscape and the beauty of the natural world as in a prayer or song.
I have life long been influenced by a poem by Edna St. Vincent Millay, God’s World:
“Oh World, I cannot hold thee close enough. . .”
Professional organizations:
Oil Painters of America
American Impressionists Society
California Art Club
Portrait Painters of America
To see more work by Sara Jane Reynolds, please visit sarajanereynolds.com
Contact her directly at [email protected] or 843.442.6929
