Donna's Daily Works - I call these my Apple A Day Works - much like an apple a day helps to keep us in good health; a work a day helps me learn and become more aware of the color, design and shape of my art.




Earlier I arranged a set up to complete a morning painting. Yesterday I prepared linen panels from mat board purchased at Dick Blick. Our store in Roswell, Georgia has a great clearance bin filled with various types of mat board. I often find great linen panels for a good price in these bins - these are the leftovers from framing. At my home studio, I cut them to size with a sharp exacto knife, give them a coat or two of gesso and let them dry. They're nice to paint on.
A link to Dick Blick
http://www.dickblick.com/newproducts/

Morning Set Up for 16 September 2015

 

And here's the finished painting and my post for day 16 of the Leslie Saeta 30 in 30 challenge.
These are hour long paintings. I lay out my palette and get all things ready beforehand. Here I used alizarin crimson, terra rosa, ultramarine blue, cad yellow plus white. Once all the materials are ready, I can set a timer for 60 minutes and when it goes off I make myself walk away - all done. This is not always easy, and it's been an ongoing process for me. It's also something I have really come to appreciate because my initial block and overall painting has gotten faster. It's been helpful when I go out to paint too, since after an hour and a half the light typically shifts, and changes things up. I need to paint faster to get the basic information down quickly.
Outdoors I work to stop a painting at that hour and a half interval. I may return to continue my process on another day, when conditions are similar or I may begin a second painting, but after an hour and a half I move on. I do this because I've made too many poor decisions after that hour and a half point, only to ruin the fresh look of a painting.
Memory and reference photos can certainly help me, but these things only do me so much good. Working directly allows me to see better. I learn more about the local color and over time I get a faster block in because of that learning curve. I'm learning to make those rather crucial decisions with greater confidence, and these hour long paintings are helpful with that process. I've come to realize the value that comes with trusting my instincts - not second guessing myself...the truth is we often know more than we realize. I still have much to learn, but this hour long paintings have been a good exercise and they give me a better feeling about my capabilities. :)

That's all for today. Thanks so much for stopping by...Happy Painting!
Peace and Health -