Gardener

Gardener    16 x 20 acrylic on canvas

Today's painting is a quick gestural sketch of a woman gardening.  It happened  kind of by accident last night when I was cleaning up my painting area, and I'll take it because I have to tackle my mega-upholstery project today.

Sometimes facing a blank canvas is the hardest part about paining, getting started. So, I have  developed a little technique that gets me past that obstacle - I paint the entire canvas in a color.  I like when colors emerge from underneath, glowing around the edges. They also subtly contribute to the mood of the painting. 

My  "studio"is just a corner of my office, in a former porch of our old farmhouse.  So much happens in this small room, it is usually a disaster area of computer/books/photography/sewing/art projects.  While I was cleaning up I thought, hey, I will just paint color on a few canvases to have a headstart on the next few paintings.  Then, as long as I had wet paint on my palette, I  started doodling on a canvas and suddenly this painting emerged. Most of my paintings start out like this, but then I keep working them because they seem so raw. Nevertheless, I like the bold brushstrokes and juicy paint. So, this time, I am stopping here.