I need some new painting ideas. It’s been overcast for two weeks and I haven’t been able to go paint any libraries, so I’m running out of subjects. I worked on Pan American Branch today and I’ll probably do some touch ups tomorrow, but it’s pretty much done. Some with my grandmother’s portrait. I’ll work on it tomorrow too and see if it’s done. So, for Monday I’ll need some new ideas.
I used to stretch my own canvasses but got a little burnt out on it. I do think that stretching them myself would probably be a lot more affordable, which might be the smart thing to do right now. Some of those large canvasses can get pretty expensive, especially if you want something of quality.
I’ve got a bunch of photos I took downtown several years ago that might make good paintings. I had gone down there for a painting class, so it was about 2008, and the sun had just set. There were tons of jackals sitting on telephone wires and the sky was turning everything a burnt orange color. If I could figure out how to get that color I think it would make a good series.
I’m also on this portrait kick, so I might think about a portrait. Right before the pandemic I had gotten a new iPhone. I’d never had the portrait camera mode before and was taking some really cool photos. Of course, once we went into lockdown I forgot about it. I’m not sure I’d have any good opportunities to take any portrait photos even now since I’m still pretty much at home all the time. But I’ve got some ideas.
I’ve been trying to read biographies about painters. I read about Andrew Wyeth last spring and it gave me a lot of inspiration. When I read about painters it makes it seem like they knew exactly what they were doing, but a good biography (I think) reveals that even the great painters have self-doubt. I was struck by how much Andrew Wyeth dismissed a lot of his work. He was quoted as saying a handful of his paintings were good but the rest were crap. It makes me feel better knowing that.
It seems like the stuff to really work on, the stuff to really sweat over, is drawing and color mixing. It reminds me of sports. You’d spend all preseason, and most days after that, practicing. You’d do these drills, over and over and over again, until you’d wanted to scream, but then in the middle of a game, when your adrenaline was pumping, and the crowd was cheering, the drill you’d practice all week would happen, and the whole team, the crowd and everything, would gasp, amazed. And it was. It was amazing. It was incredible. I’d like painting to feel like like.
Over the past few weeks I’ve been reading Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain and doing the exercises. It’s how I’ve spent my afternoons. And it’s been an emotional rollercoaster. I’d be irritated and on the verge of losing my temper, but then I’d tell myself to relax and follow the instructions. Suddenly, I’d look down and there was an image there that was quite beautiful. If I do say so myself. Her exercises work. And my paintings have improved because of it.
I haven’t started color mixing yet. That’s next on my to do list. I want to figure out how to get the colors I’m looking for instead of just settling for what I can mix with the colors I’ve put on my palette. I need more experience just playing around. I need more practice. I need game days and practice days. I’m going to make my next urban landscapes my game days and spend some time practicing what I want to achieve with them. We’ll see how it goes.