Her Morning Run. Leonard Koscianski, 24.5″x15″, tempera on panel, 2020.
Her Morning Run is the tempera version of a painting I created several years ago. In this surreal recreation, the objects have been simplified to the point of becoming symbols. It represents how things feel as much as how they look. The space is curved. We are looking down on the foreground and straight out at the distance. The colors are simplified. The houses are warm with reds and golds, the landscape is cool. A crescent moon is just above the horizon; a large freighter glides along in the distant water. This is an imaginative recreation of an early morning run in Annapolis, Maryland. It represents the transition from night into day. During the dawn hour, the streets are almost deserted, it’s quiet, and a runner may feel like they have the town to themselves. Is danger lurking? It’s the hour for runners and dog walkers. Soon, the city will awaken, and the streets will get busy.
Egg Tempera is an ancient medium using the yolk of an egg as a binder for pigment. It’s tricky, and delicate, but once it dries in about a year, it is as hard as a rock. It is an ancient medium that was popular in the Early Renaissance, and revived in the Mid Twentieth Century. Because this painting is a translation from one medium (oils) to another (egg tempera), it was a technical challenge. It was created using small brushes and small strokes of cross hatched paint. The style is a synthesis of American Regionalism, and a dreamy Surrealism. It is a bit dark and edgy. There is a sense of foreboding created by the long shadows, and distant darkness. The runner seems small and vulnerable. Are they being watched?