Search This Blog

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Play...

Blueberry Tip   oil/canvas   6 x 6 x 1.5
Sometimes I get overwhelmed in problem-solving in my larger paintings....pushing will not help.  It is all a matter of consideration and time.  It is then that I need to play.  Smaller paintings are the answer.  These small works are often done of fruits and vegetables where I paint what I see.  Their forms are already complex enough and the problems are usually readily solved.  Most of these small works are color-driven and provide an opportunity to experiment with color that lies just outside of the reality, the local.  I enjoy pushing those color limits just a bit.  There are other notions to be practiced as well....the painting of a bunch of small berries as a mass, rather than each berry one-by-one.  This lesson can be transferred to painting hair, bushes and a host of other things that benefit from massing.  Play.  With the benefits of play, I am further prepared to tackle more complex problems. Taking a break to play keeps us lighter....emotionally and with brush in hand.