Evening Commute, 12 x 12 inches, oil on linen
It looks like my solo show this fall may happen sooner than originally planned. October, instead of November. That changes things a little bit around here. I wasn't planning on panicking till mid-October, but now I think I need to get it into overdrive, like, right NOW.
I plan to have some twenty five paintings for this show, and I have that many on canvas, more or less, in different stages. I have no doubt that I'll have enough paintings, even if I only have one more month to paint. However, I keep thinking I can do better, so as I paint new paintings, I'm shelving some earlier ones. I'm not throwing them away, because they're still pretty good and I know I can bring them up to par later.
I suppose I can bring them up to par now and include them, but I don't want to. The later ones have a more confident, abstract brushwork that would be hard to replicate in the "fix" stage. It's about expression of attitude, and not just creating competent paintings. It's a lot more fun to do fresh new paintings than to fix old ones. The abstraction comes out less contrived, somehow.
When I finally do get around to fixing the earlier ones - and there's really nothing wrong with them except that their "mood" doesn't fit with the rest of the paintings - I will likely do something drastic like give it a black glaze and work back into it with a big brush.
Oh, and here's another thing that makes it tricky; I have to order a whole bunch of frames (all custom this time) at the SAME TIME in order to get the maximum bulk discount. That takes some planning, to say the least.
But these are not crises. Just speed bumps, as Dustin Hoffman's character put it in Wag the Dog. I am feeling really good about this show, and I want you all to come to the opening and see the new paintings.
I'll post firm dates soon!
6 comments:
good luck with your shows,i am sure they are going to be a success. I like to drop by your blog because your paintings are like a nice breath of fresh air. they calm me down.
Beautiful painting at the top of your post. I do love the brushwork and areas of what I call non-color. Would you kindly post about a black glaze--how to do it and what it accomplishes/ I'm intriqued.
Thanks jesus~ That's a very nice compliment. I will happily take that! :-)
hi Connie, and thanks~ Yes, I'll be happy to talk more about glazes. black or otherwise. It would be best to have some process pics as examples, so you'll have to wait a little bit, but I'll do a post the next time I get the chance.
I think you are one of those artists that work their best under pressure!!
Congratulations on some great paintings.
Thanks Carolann I don't know about doing my best work under pressure, but coming from the background of 17 years of editorial illustration, deadlines do get me fired up!
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