A New Direction

I've been wanting for a long time to move on to new ways of painting.  I've taken tentative steps in the past, through classes and experimenting, but it felt like I had pieces to a puzzle and they didn't all fit.  Now it's like I'm collecting pieces and eventually they'll all make a whole. 

Here is a piece I began painting at my Plant Zero studio last week.   I try to keep a painting going for students and visitors to see.  A client / fan / collector posted on her Facebook page a photo of her dogs' legs intertwined, which I fell in love with.  So I asked permission to paint using her image. 


I love this for the composition mostly.  And because it's a great way to move into more abstract paintings while doing what I know.  I plan to keep this looser than my usual work and hope it becomes a little more painterly.  Let's see how it goes.  

Mikki

This is Mikki. Still in progress.

Two posts ago I mentioned working on several pieces and one not going so well.  In fact, it took a turn for the worse.  Sometimes that happens with a painting and usually I expect it to have an "ugly phase" just before it begins to take the road home, so to speak.  It's a tough phase to be in and where I can make some pretty huge mistakes.  Coupled with frustration and lack of desire, it's a toxic mix.

I've shown Mikki on here before I think.  Here she is in an early phase.  I was so excited at the time because the companion painting (Tess) was such a bear for me to paint, this one looked great right away.  Alas, that excitement didn't last long.  Here she is again still working out pretty well, but legs and paws are beginning to look odd to me and my client.  Then the background wasn't looking quite right.  Of course, now that I see it here, I don't feel so strongly about it, but at the time....well, I was concerned.

Here it starts to go downhill.  (There are several revisions I am not posting.)

And then I lose her face.  Oh no.  So I set Mikki aside and debate on whether to keep on or give up this painting.

Then a funny thing happened: I decided to "do or die."  After beginning the piece for the Celebration show, and after having Susan B. come help me for the past two months, a load has been lifted off of my shoulders AND now I'm WANTING to get into the studio. 

 I e-mailed my client in January and told her briefly I was having trouble and e-mailed again yesterday to let her know maybe it was time to give up, but I was going for one last gasp.  Although she is particular, she has been very patient and supportive.  Just before getting into the studio,  I picked up my copy of Art Calendar magazine that just came in the mail to find an article about color.  Without going into the detail, it was like a light bulb blazing above my brain.  No, it was like a slap upside the back of my head.  DUH! YES!  All the things I knew about color, but  this article inadvertently addressed my issues.  So I went back into the studio, pulled out the paints I knew would begin to work and Whoa! it happened.  

I wish this photo was brighter in color, but I painted for two days and took this image in late afternoon when the light was not ideal.  But look at the face.  :-) 

 Sometimes we hit a roadblock and we just need to reenergize. Maybe it was a normal evolution of this painting and I couldn't get past it.  I don't know.  I do know this;  I'm in my studio more often and longer plus while Susan is here doing office tasks.   She told me this afternoon she can see the energy has changed for me while I work.  She has noticed I'm focusing on the painting and sees the progress.  What an angel. 

I don't know what my client will want to do.  But I am thrilled.  And I can't wait to get back to work and conquer this piece.  Even if just for me.