My plan for January is to complete 6 to 8 paintings before the 26th of this month. That includes having them varnished and photographed. This whirl of activity was inspired by an email from Michael Deyell of Covent Garden Gallery a week past. I will also be doing one of the Insight Portraits that capture the essence of a person for an 18th birthday present.
Some artists don’t respond well to deadlines, but for some reason a close deadline gets me in motion like nothing else. The thing I have learned is that it has to be a real “drop dead” date. Just like in art where a fake (aka poster or reproduction) doesn’t make the same impact as something made by hand- a fake deadline doesn’t make the same impact as a date that matters.
This video shows step 1 in preparing the canvases for these paintings. You can see how I have applied texture using acrylic media. This is equivalent to putting in some bones. It is a mini-composition and a very pleasurable experience to play with textures and shapes getting balance and interest even within a white on white palette.