It's been a busy spring---teaching workshops, entering shows, and always remembering to perform my daily physical therapy exercises to make sure my (formerly) "frozen" shoulder stays flexible.
I was happy to learn that my painting "Inner Confidence" (acrylic on paper, 10 x 14") was juried into the Emerald Art Center Spring Show which is held each year in Springfield, Oregon (near Eugene). The juror was Portland artist Ruth Armitage, but since this painting was not done in my typical style, she may not have even known I was the artist. This is all to the good, because a painting should stand on its own merits regardless of who painted it.
"Inner Confidence" is aptly named because when I painted it last summer, I had to really "fight" with this piece of paper to gain control of it! It started out one way (with two figures) and just wasn't working so in a fit of pique, I turned it upside down, got a wide 2" brush filled with black paint and started covering up all the parts I didn't like. In fact, if you look at the step by step images below, you can still see the "ghost" of the previous figures. This painting was all about veils of color and layers---what to leave in, and what to paint over and obscure.
You can't quite make it out in the final photo, but if you see the painting in person, you'll detect a faint trace of my (upside down) signature in the upper left hand corner. That's because when I first worked on the painting, I had such confidence, I signed my name AS IF the painting was finished. When I later turned it upside down, I forgot all about that faded signature.
Maybe signing my painting twice at two different times really does reflect my "inner confidence" as a painter. Or maybe it demonstrates my ability to see my art from more than one angle. At any rate, I never gave up on this piece of paper, and I'm glad I kept going until it was really FINISHED.
I was happy to learn that my painting "Inner Confidence" (acrylic on paper, 10 x 14") was juried into the Emerald Art Center Spring Show which is held each year in Springfield, Oregon (near Eugene). The juror was Portland artist Ruth Armitage, but since this painting was not done in my typical style, she may not have even known I was the artist. This is all to the good, because a painting should stand on its own merits regardless of who painted it.
"Inner Confidence" is aptly named because when I painted it last summer, I had to really "fight" with this piece of paper to gain control of it! It started out one way (with two figures) and just wasn't working so in a fit of pique, I turned it upside down, got a wide 2" brush filled with black paint and started covering up all the parts I didn't like. In fact, if you look at the step by step images below, you can still see the "ghost" of the previous figures. This painting was all about veils of color and layers---what to leave in, and what to paint over and obscure.
You can't quite make it out in the final photo, but if you see the painting in person, you'll detect a faint trace of my (upside down) signature in the upper left hand corner. That's because when I first worked on the painting, I had such confidence, I signed my name AS IF the painting was finished. When I later turned it upside down, I forgot all about that faded signature.
Maybe signing my painting twice at two different times really does reflect my "inner confidence" as a painter. Or maybe it demonstrates my ability to see my art from more than one angle. At any rate, I never gave up on this piece of paper, and I'm glad I kept going until it was really FINISHED.
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