Happy New Year 2022

Today is the last day of 2021 - a year of challenges, even in the Studio. This year I finally addressed my long-time issues with the acrylic medium. I changed my attitude, changed my working environment to give the medium more respect and committed to a thirty-artwork challenge on 6x6 inch panels that I called "The Acrylic Project." It was so much fun that after the first thirty, I painted another 15. After the first few faltering steps, my new attitude kicked in and I had an amazing experience. I've never painted so quickly or sold so quickly. Thanks to everyone who supported my experiment.  I still have a few available for purchase if you would like a momento from 2021. The Acrylic Project. 

I view acrylic as a playful medium, a way to sketch with paint. I love the loose, fresh result and have given some thought to how I can incorporate acrylic into my work that is larger in scale, and more contemplative; a complete thought rather than a quick impression. In the coming year, I plan to continue using acrylic as my foundation/impression and oil as my resolution/completion. 

Just before the pandemic, I delivered a series of oil still life paintings to one of my galleries. Then, COVID. Recently I picked up the work from the gallery and selected a couple of the paintings for rework. One of them was "Tomato Time," oil, 20x16 inches. I feel I can improve on the composition and brushwork.

I removed the Gamvar varnish with Gamsol OMS and sanded the painting. I wasn't sure I loved the subject enough to paint it again so to be sure, I adjusted the reference photo (flowers, tomato and lemon are long gone) to a 6x6 format so I could paint a small study. With the reference photo on my iPad, I painted the scene in acrylic.

 

"Understudy - Lemon," oil, 6x6 inches

This was fun! Using a generous amount of oil paint and a palette knife, I enhanced the scene I had already captured in acrylic. Special attention was taken to retain simplification of the subject to allow the viewer to participate in completion of each object. 

After painting this study, I have enthusiasm for repainting the 20x16 size again on the panel I sanded. For this study, and for the next painting, the title shifts from the obvious subject, the tomato, to the supporting player, the lemon. "Understudy - Lemon" is available for purchase and will be dry, varnished and ready to ship March 1. Contact me if you are interested in purchase.