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| Slash!, 8x8 Oil on Panel, private commission |
Yesterday I finally got into my studio and painted. This may not seem like a big deal to you but I have been wrestling with procrastination for months now. There is always something else to do, or something that needs organizing in the studio that keeps me from wetting my brush. I was honored to receive this commission mid April and have had it sketched out for over a month. I do not know what keeps me from painting because once I get going I feel energized and excited.
It takes courage to work through the "uglies" and the necessary steps of painting development though. I work "wet into wet" I start with a dark transparent underpainting then layer the opaque colors over it. There are many moments when a painting seems to have gone horribly wrong somehow and I have to persevere. I enjoy working from photo reference and doing close up portraits of animals in a square format.
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| "Slash" source photo |
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| My studio set up, working from iPad reference. |
Note the surrounding creative chaos in the studio...
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| transparent under painting, building the darks |
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| Beginning the lights and opaque colors |
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| The eyes start to bring the painting alive! |
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| The pup's personality emerges... |
I feel truly blessed to have the creative space in which to paint, plus the time to do so. I feel honored by the commission. As I drove home, energized by the experience I could only shake my head and wonder why it took me so darn long to just sit down & paint. The human creative spirit is a wondrous thing.
Then I went to www.ipiccy.com and created this banner:
Watch a video of this little gouache painting being made at the Plein Air Convention in Monterey last Sunday.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKIfCxXe4L4&feature=youtu.be
I am grateful for the many blessings of my life as it is today.
