Two full days in the studio this weekend and it was wonderful. I first attempted a little farm painting and as Andrew said this morning “It’s just not you, Faye”. I keep trying, but I’m not a pretty-little-painting painter.
So after that failed attempt, it was important to get back on the horse. I put up another 6″ x 12″ panel onto the easel and Andrew says “Go big, baby, go big.”
Great advice.
I replaced the little panel with the largest painting surface in the studio, a 12″ x 24″ raw panel. I love the feel and smell of raw wood, and the way it grabs the paint into itself, like it’s a part of the process. (I do wonder if I am sabotaging the longevity of the piece by not using Gesso. Anyone have any advice?)
I’ve had time in the past 6 months to gather a lot of reference material so on hand was a lovely tall forest scene with beautiful light dappling the leaves. That’s what I’m looking for now; powerful and interesting light.
I’m very happy with the finished piece and having that much focused time allowed me to feel the flow of creating, which is like meditating, yoga, watching a good movie and enjoying a favourite meal all at once. Exhilarating, comforting, exciting and familiar.
I do recognize that I can be a lazy painter. This time when I heard that little voice in my head say “whatever”, when it came to value, colour and pace, I told it to go away and refocused my energy and effort. I was also observing that process (hence the meditation aspect).
I can’t wait for next weekend!