A busy week has kept me away from my easel and is leaving me feeling a little restless. The studio is so close to being finished, but now requires much more of my attention to the finishing details. Hopefully by this time next week, I will be unpacked, settled in and enjoying my new space!
I did sneak a few hours in and enjoyed painting the jigsaw puzzle that makes up this little girls face. It is close to being finished but lacks the finesse that details will provide. I have also made it past the mid point in a painting that is so frustrating. For me, anyway. Midpoint lacks the cohesion of color and detail that drives my compositions. I feel like I am painting and painting and gaining zero ground towards the finished piece. Then, in what seems like a blink of the eye, the painting transforms and I can see the end in sight. Don't get me wrong....I love to paint, period! But at some point, my mind starts to wander, and I find myself thinking about the next painting. Something will catch my eye, or I have stopped by the side of the road to photograph a frisky filly kicking up her heels, snorting with pleasure, and I am ready to start something new.
The background will be my greatest challenge in this painting. I have already deepened the yellow in the lower portion and lightened the upper right corner. I would like to add some greenery, but it may overpower the piece and make it too busy. I want the viewer to be focused on the loving, contented expression of the mother and the innocence of the young giraffe. I will likely Photoshop several ideas into the photo, before painting it on the board. I love having that tool! I can put general ideas to the test, especially if I find that I am not happy with the direction the painting is currently taking. I can then adjust colors and shape as I paint.
I try to find a quote for the day that reflects my mood. Today it deals with my struggles to continue to grow as an artist.
"Every creator painfully experiences the chasm between his inner vision and its ultimate expression." ~Isaac Bashevis Singer
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