Part 2 Watch the colors grow!

Although most of my work now is with oil paint, I love starting with acrylics.  They are everything that oils are not - fast drying, easy clean up and so great for finding your direction.  And because they dry so quickly I can put layers on and often I can scrape through the oils and - there they are!  Fun! It is very easy to be spontaneous with acrylics and warm up and get set up for possibilities. 

I have been working pretty small for a while so a large canvas feels good.  Alot of space to cover, however, so you better have some pretty interesting things to "say". And one of the things the early part of a work is about - is finding out what I want to say.

The acrylics give me a chance to practice what I want to say - and they give layers of color and texture, that will mostly be covered over, but parts of them peek through or I scrape through to them.  They are important. Sometimes it is hard to leave behind those beautiful accidents when I move on to pull a piece together and make it really work. - does that sound philisophical?  I think it is.

Even though I am wanting to know what I will "say", in this painting the first part for me is about not controlling.  My favorite painting tools that keep me from too much control are kitchen spatulas.  In Part 3 when you see the finished piece I think you will appreciate the beauty of loose movements with the painting tools. 

As the areas of color began to work together I can see where to assert myself. It really becomes fun.  The colors grow and support each other.  One makes the others stand out more, and they take shapes, and combine and the canvas moves toward becoming a work of art.  My gift of color and texture and content on a flat 2D surface.

I am beginning to feel excited as it comes together - I must be moving in the right directions and I got here by letting everything , including myself, work together - with a little nudge here and there.

If you missed the videos of me starting I think you'll find it interesting in Part 1 and for sure don't miss Part 3!
(Comments and share are very appreciated)

​