Well, it's been sitting since then on a gallery shelf in the study where I tutor, and the canvas has been buggin' me. Too contrived, too tight, not enough value contrast, not generating any sparks of joy.
Plus, I've about had it with winter and wind and dry skin and heavy layers of clothing.
So today, in response to an interview between artists Alice Sheridan and Nicholas Wilton (thank you, Alice, thank you, Nicholas), I suddenly found myself in my studio impulsively bringing action to the idea of starting a painting with a good 20 minutes of 'thought-less' free play.
SO refreshing.
I mentally stripped away the title I'd given this piece and considered it a brand new canvas again—only better because it had so many layers on it, not one of which was I attached to! I worked in rapid-fire fashion and intuitively, indulging whatever caught my whimsy—Krink ink, a paint marker, a grease pencil, a makeup sponge, fabric ink, acrylics, ruler-straight lines, freehand orbs, passages of color blended directly on the canvas.
Took a process shot with our honey-colored pine kitchen floor as a backdrop, and snagged a few detail shots.
Feeling quite content at the moment.
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| free canvas #2 8x10" work in progress |
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| detail |
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| detail |
14 comments:
Just yesterday I guess a question and answer from a the MoMA channel by Corey D'Augustine. Each painting is a learning experience and not to get attached to our work. It was a question dealing about practice substrates with his suggestion of using old work! This piece is definitely searching!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OxS8X_V6TCU
Whoa! I like That some of the warm stayed. Some of the before. LOVE that you completely altered what I thought was a very fine piece of work. Betting that this is still in flux... :)
I've got so many practice substrates! I love the days when I feel playful and adventurous and non-graspy as I paint. Thanks for linking my studio time to the conversation on the MoMA channel. I'll take a listen : )
thank you, Carol!
Thanks for your support for my experimentation and exploration, Sheila. Yup, still in flux. Still a work in progress. As am I!
there is high drama in this piece now!!! and the texture....scrumptious. I really love how a little time staring at it so changed your opinion and action on it. Bravo!
Go Dotty, Go Dotty.....yes! That's what happens when you paint a lot- you look at an older one, and alter it based on what you've learned daily since then. I love it! And of course, contrast is (in my opinion) what really can make a painting and you nailed that here!
You've been down this road a few times, yes?, the road that you think is going one way and then goes another? Great fun! I'm always so grateful when I find myself in the right side of my brain. Thanks for your feedback, Jen, re drama and texture.
Laurie, I'm always so appreciative of your encouragement and painterly been-there feedback. This is a fun 'club' to be in, this art club; beats Brownies any day (I think that was the first club I ever joined).
The before was a nice painting, but seems somewhat tentative compared to your work now. So out with the old and in with the new! You have added some great values, shapes and texture and now my eyeing is moving around and taking all of the painting in. I know this is just one stop along the way with this one. You have been painting so much (such a good thing!) that a lot of the elements of painting are just finding their way in naturally. Sometimes a painting needs a drastic change in order to more forward - but I always have to keep reminding myself to not plan ahead! Looking forward to what happens next!
Janet, thanks so much for the reflective big-picture nature of your comments here. Grateful for your mentoring, and glad for your observation that my showing up every day to paint has paved the way for many elements of painting to just find 'their way in naturally'—I so prefer that to feeling overly deliberate. Helpful feedback!
Thank you Dotty! Don't think of myself as a mentor - those are big shoes to fill. Like to share what I have had the opportunity to glean from workshops and getting together with other artists. Look how much you have shared, insightful observations and great comments. Such a great community that has grown from 30in30!
Indeed, such a wonderful community. Your ability to absorb and then articulate what you've learned is a gift.
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