Oak Grove, Carmel 1919

Rose O'Neill’s "Oak Grove, Carmel" shimmers with light and texture, likely painted with oils on canvas. I can imagine O’Neill, squinting a little as she looked up through the boughs of the trees, trying to capture the feel of dappled sunlight. Look at the colours, the blues and purples that define the shadows, set against the yellows that suggest warm sunlight. It's not just a visual exercise, it’s an emotional one. The painting surface itself looks quite built up, full of ridges of paint, and this adds to the sense of movement, as if the whole scene is flickering and alive. I like to think that O'Neill had artists like Monet in mind as she made this work. There’s an ongoing conversation happening between painters across time, each building on what came before, with each artist teaching others to see the world in new and interesting ways. Painting allows for ambiguity, leaving space for individual interpretation and meaning.