Trolls and rainbows in Raleigh, NC

I make so many connections through my art. I create differences not just in my life but in others as well, as they resonate with something that comes from my soul. From time to time, my connections are quick conversations, smiles, and curiosities. Other times, they extend beyond the session and create a new relationship that has the potential to blossom if it should do so.

Over the summer, a visionary piece was acquired at a festival by a couple who I found out had just gotten engaged afterwards. The painting Justice created a symbol of a new beginning for them. If you’re curious to look into my visionary work, which depicts a more internal world, feel free to head to my website, KatieFogg.com.

Little did I know at that time that I would be reaching out to them as I was planning this road trip, and before you know it, I made my way to Raleigh, North Carolina. This once-in-a-lifetime experience with new people, new friends, and a new perspective was simply amazing. I was welcomed into a home shared by many and unexpectedly spoiled throughout a long weekend. Drake and Justin provided me with a home, food, and really good company while supporting me through my painting endeavor.

On a beautiful sunny afternoon, Drake and I made our way to Dixie Park. He couldn’t wait to show me the trolls and the downtown skyline of Raleigh. We made our way into the forest area, settled in, and while working on my ink wash, Drake had fun with his Flow Star. It was like two kids just hanging out, doing what they both love to do!

As the sun beamed through the trees and beautiful, vibrant shadows were casted, I decided to complete a plein-air ink wash drawing of a troll by Thomas Dambo, an artist who creates giant wooden trolls and places them all over the country. “Mother Strongtail” was lying down, layered with wooden planks to create her shirt and skirt, while her hair was built out of large sticks. 

Her large fingers and toes were my favorite part to capture. Challenging but built anatomically, I tapped into my figurative studies and utilized the planes to structure her out. I would have loved to have painted her, but the plan was to capture a sunset as well! Sometimes it feels good to have the idea of completing two pieces in one afternoon.

We made our way out to a more open space in the park that had a perfect view of all of Raleigh. After I got all set up, I started sketching out my painting and Drakes fiance, Justin arrived. Once I began laying in colors, building the landscape and the trees, the painting began to take shape.

Using a long format, I was excited to approach this with one of my hot pink surfaces. This one was particularly more on the neon red side. I’ve become known for these hot neon colors and really enjoy using them as a base because they allow my paintings to glow in a very special way.

As I began painting the trees and the grass, I also loved using the opposite side of my brush to kind of carve in the little trunks of the trees, which creates a glow as if the sun is hitting them. It’s this beautiful additive-subtractive method that I can use within these types of paintings.

I usually start with my dark greens and move forward to the light. I tend to do this because a lot of the time, I treat it like a puzzle. Once I lay in the dark, I can then start building up the lights and focusing on warm and cool colors. It’s also a way to keep the darks rich because if you were to go from light to dark, sometimes the dark brushstrokes move into the light and can become chalky and not stand out as much. They just don’t stay as rich, at least with the way I paint.

Working from bottom to top, I lay out the landscape, and then it’s time to paint the buildings. With lots of detail, such as windows and lines, and a lot of things on the rooftops of these buildings, I really treat them as simply as possible, just think “shapes and colors.”

I pay attention to the cool buildings, the warm buildings, the ones that have windows, or some sort of stripes created from the windows. I don’t paint all those stripes or windows, but what I do is lay down the main shapes of the buildings first. Afterwards, I might mark them with nuances, with the idea that some of them have windows.

I also like to carve around the buildings, so once I’m ready to put the sky in, I can then clean up the shapes and create details like antennas or domes that sit on top of the building. Once I get the main pieces in there, I can go back and add a little bit of detail here and there, thinking that someone may recognize which building it is, whether they’ve been in that location or not.

By the time I reached the sky, it was really exciting. Drake and Justin’s friends Sarah and Jake arrived. They were also just really friendly and so sweet, and while I was painting, we enjoyed fun conversation and laughs. Having a friends around while I painted was a different experience to my usual solo painting sessions. It was just really nice to have great energy surrounding me. 

And of course!.. As I was painting the skyline, it quickly turned right into a rainbow of blues, greens, and purples, with a little bit of orange. The timing was just impeccable. It was so magical. Literally, by the time I was ready to paint the sky, a rainbow of color arrived, and it all just came together so beautifully.

After I completed the painting, it was really nice to enjoy a little bit of a beverage. We packed up our stuff, followed by plans to go out to dinner. I was explaining to this new group of friends just how I love feeling accomplished and enjoying a celebration after I complete a piece. Today, it was two pieces!

Drawing and painting in familiar ways moved this story into another special day. Head on over to my next blog.