An artist's journal.
Here you'll find my paintings and musings, where the featured subjects could likely cover just about anything.
The last 4+ years I've been caring for my best buddy B during his courageous fight to live through cancer and it's complications. I'm tickled to report, he's getting better and I'm finding small bits of painting time again.

Looking forward to a daily celebration of life's gifts by using the brightest, happiest colors in the box!


Visitors looking for 'B's Journey', click here.

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Paint it Black...

or... 'Rocky Mountain Bye'
There were several things I really liked about this painting, before I gessoed the entire canvas black! 
One was the tree canopy... the leaves....  another, the black edges peeking out here and there. I liked that concept. 

One mistake I made with this painting, was tackling a new style without a reference photo on a HUGE canvas ...what was I thinking?

Whenever I changed my mind on a composition element, it was ridiculously time consuming to make the change throughout this gigantic canvas... and then my AAADD* would kick in, making painting a chore (painting should not be a chore!) 'til I finally said "enough!".

But the biggest reason (besides not having a reference photo) for starting over on this big canvas was I simply decided I didn't want a giant Colorado landscape in my living room. This painting is for our home and this canvas is meant to go back to the same area it's hung for 10 years. It's was an (unfinished) ocean scene for 3 years, and I didn't know how much I liked having a waterscape in that spot 'til it was gone. The forest was pretty, but it wasn't water.

This poor ole canvas has been gessoed over 3 times before. It's first two incarnations were colorful abstracts, then it was the simple (unfinished) sea scene. Each time I brought the Colorado landscape in from my studio to see if I liked the colors in my living room's east light, and I'd find myself wishing I'd stuck with an ocean theme. When I mentioned this to Brian, he simply said, go with your feelings. 

Wow. Duh. I couldn't get the black gesso on the canvas fast enough. (except for a few parting photos of the spots I liked). At the time I decided to gesso the whole darn thing, I was happy with most of what I'd finished on the painting... so I took photos of the parts I liked and will use those ideas in future works.

This time, with a reference photo in hand, and a whimsical patchwork umbrella idea brewing in my head, I started this giant canvas's newest life. An homage to my hometown, Coral Gables and to the beach... my ocean. I miss the ocean.

This is definitely a work in progress. The umbrellas will all be COLORFUL, the sand almost white, and I think as soon as I'm done posting this,  those silly cartoonish clouds are going to float right on out of the painting. 



I'm trying to channel a soft, old fashioned vintage post card feel with this. Wish me luck.
 
Thanks for visiting! ... and if you like to see what this giant canvas (finally?) ends up being, please consider becoming one of my blog followers.
*AAADD- age accentuated attention deficit disorder  :o)

6 comments:

cinderkeys said...

If I were an artist, I don't think I could bring myself to paint over a partially done painting unless I hated absolutely everything about it.

Songwriting is easier. The act of editing or rewriting doesn't feel quite so violent.

Jenna said...

I've never covered up a painting I mostly liked but I was strangely ok with doing it... I was pleased with my courage to follow my heart and return this canvas to what I feel it is meant to be.

Shelley Smart said...

Hi! I think it was absolutely wonderful that you had the resolve/intuition to paint over a (in your opinion) less than satisfactory painting!

And I love this umbrella in its sepia (?) stage. I get attached sometimes to the "in progress" stages and almost hate to move on. Like this painting of yours. I like it just like it is, clouds and all, but I also look forward to where you take it!

Jenna said...

Thanks Shelley! I too get attached to paintings in their 'in progress' stages... Brian often tells me a painting is done way before I think it is. Perhaps I should listen to him now and then on this? ...btw, I've begun a chronicle of his latest battle with Lymphoma here on this blog... it's sort of hidden, a page simply titled 'B's journey'(in the left margin).
I still intend to paint a few of your waves someday, and still love to see your new postings, on both your blogs.
Hope all is well with you and yours.

Dana Cooper said...

Jenna, your work is outstanding! Following your heart always seems to be the answer.
Thank you for your kind comments on my blog!

Jenna said...

Dana, thank YOU for YOUR kind comments too!
I love visiting your blog!
Your last few paintings have simply captured me.
Really wonderful!

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"There are days when I feel I could've painted the Sistine Chapel and, then, there are the days when I'm not sure I could trace a stick figure.... the only difference between these days is my state of mind"~ Jenna Millward Corkill