“Fiction”
Oil on Canvas
36 x 12 inches

The beginning of the year in the studio until now and continuing are painting commissions and exhibits to prepare for. I am not complaining. No way! But there comes a time when it is necessary to stray off the path and play. By that I mean experiment with mediums. Today was the day to play with oil paint and use a new medium to prepare paper for drawings.. I dearly love to use impasto to paint with lots of luscious color. The oil paint that was left on my palette from the painting commission I’m working on would go to waste while I wait for a layer to dry. Oh good, use it. I have some rather odd size canvasses that I keep to use for such occasions. They certainly provide a composition challenge. I actually inspired myself today but that inspiration I must admit probably did come from reading and looking at my favorite Hans Hofmann books, “Hofmann”, Cynthia Goodman-Hans Hofmann, “Search for the Real”. There are several good utube videos that are worthwhile seeing. I viewed some of those in the past week. I loved his teaching style, incorporating his ideas into my own painting instruction.

My drawing project is just getting started since I discovered that TerraSkin paper will no longer be available for artists. What an unfortunate surprise. My task now is to find a paper and surface preparation that will allow me to continue my series of works on paper that relies on being able to use my favorite mediums. I did buy more TerraSkin; it is still available for now in sheets but not in the long rolls. So the search is on for alternatives.

Time to get back to playing. Happy Spring!