Works in Progress

Notice how this painting area
would not go in a book or magazine
called "Where Women Create"?

One of my kids has been sick this week, so I have pretty much been homebound. I took some pictures yesterday of some works in progress. Sandy Mastroni sent me a link to a song called "Littliest Birds" by the Be Good Tanyas. Here's the link to the song...



So birds have been in my thought process lately for lots of reasons - I've been drawing lots of little bird thumbnail sketches in my journal. The little sketch in my journal I like, but it is NOT translating to the large format in paint. There are a number of problems with the composition. First, the bird is about halfway the height of the panel, and that makes the painting split in two. So he either needs to become about 1/3 the size he is now or it needs to be repainted and become something else.


I will be painting over the big bird thing and doing something abstract on it. And then I will do a smaller little bird painting using this theme - maybe something like this crop of the larger painting.


The bird is painted on a big wooden shallow bin that I got at an imports store closing. Here's the before post about them. I used one to make a sign for the family reunion pancake breakfast. I was going to do S_____ 's House of Pancakes, but that spells SHOP. That might be appropriate since one of my brothers has been called The Bionic Consumer. But I wanted to make a word play on IHOP.



Painting is very calming for me. I forget that, and sometimes neglect to take the time to paint. But at my last doctor's visit she suggested I do a "refresher course" on relaxation techniques. This painting started out as just playing around with paint, but after a while it started to take on the form of a landscape, and that's the direction I will take with it.


I enjoy painting large blocks of color and scratching into it to reveal underneath layers. In this painting I started painting on a wood panel without priming so you can still see the grain of the wood. I used watercolor pencils in it as well.


I have laundry, dishes, grocery shopping, other non-art projects that need addressing. It's a juggling act that's for sure. But it's all good. :-)

1 comment:

The Feathered Nest said...

Hi Dixie! I beg to differ sweet friend, I LOVE seeing your studio and where you make your gorgeous artwork...it's fun to peek inside someone's world...even if someone creates at their dining room table ~ I think that's what's so wonderful about blogging is that we can share so much and get ideas from one another. I love the painting!!! xxoo, Dawn


"Do not let what you cannot do
keep you from doing what you can do."

John Wooden