Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Searching

Recently I have been going through a period of searching...for what I'm not sure. It has to do with a dissatisfaction...in what I'm painting, how I'm painting. It feels as if I have to go back all the way to the beginning and start from scratch. I wrote a recent post on Ancient Artist in which the above image was created from a photograph. I've always enjoyed figure work and quit painting figures two years ago after several people "in the know" told me that figures don't sell. I enjoy landscape work, too, don't get me wrong, but it seems so difficult right now for me to find the right approach.

I'm not whining, exactly. I have had more success with the abstract paintings than the landscapes recently, so logically you might ask "Why change styles?" But there's something about pushing myself into a more technically proficient approach that I am interested in right now. So I've been doing my version of daily painting. It's more like almost daily painting, because when I have to work there's not much painting going on. but I've got more time off right now, so...I'm painting.

The above image was instructive. I painted it using my altered photo image, which allowed me to see one solution in painting the shapes. I will post more images as I paint them.

2 comments:

Constance said...

Sue-
I really like this painting!
You captured it just right and I really appreciate the abstraction quality.
Thank you for FOLLOWING my little blog. Just trying to walk my talk and be a good muse ;-)
Feel free to comment right on the blog. Hope to be of a bit of help.
PS Met two other artists I like in blog-land - one in Vegas and one in Scotland. Both happened to be virgos (not that I take much stock in that) ...as I am.
If you are one as I am-- what fun... but maybe you are a libra?
Now that WOULD be funny if I guessed that.
HAPPY PAINTING!
I am working on one that has got me in a quandary...

June said...

I've been bopping through your blog which Sherry linked to. This painting really struck me, and I wanted to tell you so. It's the colors and shapes and the recognizable and yet archtypal feel of the figures. Do more!