Half Way Point

It's interesting that no sooner had I sworn off doing larger work that suddenly the urge to work larger than 8x8 has struck.
Today after a lot of procrastination (the very thing the 30 paintings in 30 days project is suppose to challenge if not cure) I headed to the studio and immediately felt bored with the smalls.  I wanted the brush to move more quickly and over a larger space.  Sometimes 8x8 inches isn't enough room to contain the energy & gesture of the whole arm. Often working small will begin to feel quite cramped and the work begins to get tight and monotonous.

So today, I pulled out a larger square panel, 18x18 inches and decided to do a still life with glass vase on that.  While it does satisfy the urge to be more energetic with the brushwork - it has become quite a sad mess and lacks the charm of the smalls and the nicely contained light filled box that the smaller paintings feel like.

I haven't completed a painting today. The challenge has become more about painting everyday with a goal of completing a painting but not an expected outcome.


This blog post is getting to be as muddled as the painting... just trying to get my thoughts down and taking notice of the change in the studio today.

Let's see where this goes.