It has been a while since I have blogged. Sometimes life just gets so busy there is just time for painting and family. It has been one of those months! I thought it was time to share a couple of the paintings I have been working on though. One seems to be finished, the other I can feel still calling, I will post it anyway so you can share the development. I welcome any feedback on offer.
It has cooled somewhat since my last post. Thank goodness. It was the hottest Texan Summer on record! I have never appreciated Autumn/Fall as much as I am this year. The colors are inspirational too and have me yearning for my natural tonings, although it seems the Palette that has been coming through all year is not yet through. I am still reaching for the Cyan, Magenta, Deep Purples and Titanium and Zinc Whites...I have been playing with the warm/cool difference in these whites. Titanium is cool and Zinc, warm in tone.
I have just received my order of stretcher bars and a roll of canvas and am set to build 25 new canvas's of 30"x40". I really wanted to try keeping my next series all the same size. Kind of a new aesthetic experiment.
Before I begin with them and during the building period (might take a month or two to prepare all of them...construct the frame, staple and stretch the canvas and then prime with usually 3 coats of Gesso before painting can even begin) I decided I would go through the store of paintings from last year that were as yet unresolved and rework them in a totally new way. I have literally painted over them with lucious, thick oil using mainly a palette knife instead of a brush and built up very textured layers. This has had me re-ordering my paint, especially white, numerous times.
It is a very exciting style which has enabled me to really let loose with no pre planning. Just feeling my way and adding more paint as I go. I have left little windows of the painting's history as it seemed fitting to acknowledge these works had already had a number of lives! I really like the effect and hope you do too! I hope to paint a few more before I go on to something new. I am definately not tired of this way of working. It may even be the basis for the new series but as yet I have no solid thoughts on that. I am sure the process of building the canvas's will allow time enough to consider what comes next.
The first one is complete and I have Titled it, 'A Blast from the Past' ....A bit of fun with the titling!
The second one is untitled as I feel it is unfinished but it might be interesting to see the progress along the way.
