Winter Blues and Garden Paths

This winter felt exceptionally dreary. Probably because it rained as much as it snowed these past few months. It was a winter of getting old projects done as I didn’t seem to have the energy to start new ones. I also have a bad habit of starting paintings and then setting them to the side and moving onto new and shiny projects. My brain gets a little squirrely sometimes.

However I did finish up two pieces these past few months. The first was a small mixed media piece on paper which was a play off of American Gothic (Grant Wood 1930) and inspired by the song Wolf Mother by First Aid Kit.

The second piece I worked on this last month was a doozy. The largest pieces I have painted in the past have been under 48 inches or so (4 ft) at their longest or tallest. However I got a commission to do a large garden scene last year. The piece was 48x96 inches (4x8 feet). I’ve been attempting to paint it for the past year or so. It took four restarts before I finally found my flow.

Painting, for me, takes more than ‘talent’. It takes a developed skill set and something that feels akin to muscle memory. When I haven’t painted for awhile I lose that ‘muscle memory’ and it takes some time to loosen up and get back into the flow state where everything just works (and you’re filled with glee!). As I haven’t painted much over the last six months, getting into that state again and with such a large piece took was an act of frustration at points. However after 3 false starts (and half a bottle of gesso) I loosened up enough to figure it out. It was nice to work in such deep and bright colours as I usually work in more muted tones or just black and white. So happy Spring and I hope this brightens your day up.

P.S. sorry for the photo quality - it was taken on my phone. Once I get better lighting set up and no glare I’ll take some proper ones

Garden Path 2020 Acrylic on board 48x96 inches

Detail of Garden Path (sorry for the glare)

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