No deep thoughts today but I did want to acknowledge that I do occasionally still think about art. I've finished up one painting, am stuck on another, and I'm trying to figure out if this other one is going to move forward or not. I'm also pondering whether or not I feel comfortable sharing the progression of my work on this blog -- as in uploading photos of my current work. It's awfully public and my little painter soul is a bit shy. I don't mind talking about it, but as I know from my own experience, reading about art is not the same as seeing it. I find it incredibly frustrating to read a long critique of a piece with no piece to look at to see what they are saying. So ... I guess I'm thinking about sharing my stuff here, at least stuff that is reasonably palatable. Stay tuned.
Also did a little bit of sketching with pastels last night. I forget how satisfying that is. I took a class last summer at the CCAE, and the biggest tip I got out of it was to start with dark paper. The pastels really "pop" against this background and it also accenuates texture and negative space in a very pleasing way. So last night I did a quick self portrait on some navy blue paper, and I was reasonably pleased with it. The trick is to start with dark colors and layer up to the highlights with the light colors. A great effect.
Sometimes I wonder if I should be drawing more than painting. My paintings tend to be less about paint and more about communicating an idea along with the emotional impact of that idea. And I'm still so new to paint that I think I draw with the brush instead of painting. However, when I try to draw something I get so tangled up in accuracy. I want the object to look like something, I want to be concise and precise and smooth. Paint releases me from that restriction somehow.
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