I am presently looking very much forward to the 4 months of uninterrupted time I have available for working. That time will be as meaningful as I make it. Procrastination, if unchecked, can eat up most of this valuable time. So, I need a plan. Not just a general plan, like saying I am going to work hard during this time, but a more specific plan.
The images and ideas I have been working on still excite me and that tells me there is more to be learned. The best way to evaluate your enthusiasm for what you are working on is to pay attention to how excited you are about getting back to it. Another barometer of your depth of enthusiasm is what happens to the time spent working on the ideas. If hours seem like minutes you are properly engaged. If minutes seem like hours do something else.
My plan and desire is to complete 8 large canvas images. These will be a continuation of what I have been doing and I hope that the change from paper and watercolor to acrylic and canvas will open windows of possibility. The idea of large paintings, at least 48" x 48", always excites me. As these images depend so much on brilliant hues the larger the better, at least that has been my experience so far. Large paintings allow shapes of color to fill our field of vision and the feeling I get is one of being in the painting. I will continue of make line drawings, to explore rhythms and gestures, although I rarely use them for the design of a larger painting. The works on paper will be the laboratory where I experiment with unusual color combinations for emotional content. There is nothing quite like making a declaration to yourself and to whomever reads this blog to get ones juices flowing. It is my intention to share with you my progress. For motivation, you know!
Week one will be used for stretching canvases ( wish I had a gallery assistant).
What's Your Plan?
"Quest" 22"x 30"
This summer in Maine, Diane Santarella (my wife) began exploring oyster shells as the subject of a series of paintings. While the initial interest in oysters as a painting subject was not planned, her following the inspiration and the resulting paintings were. To see what happened with Diane's search go to:
