Great Bones

Happy New Year Everyone!! 

The promise of a new year always brings thoughts of change and doing things different. May this year be your best one yet.

Just getting into the studio this morning after a couple of days off celebrating the new year and spending time with my family. It is so quiet and peaceful here, I can really sit and relax and think as I wait for my creative juices to get flowing.

I love being here and thinking about my work, making plans and things I want to do. It is not easy finding a quiet area at home with the kids wanting your attention and so much activity going on. At least here my focus is more concentrated and on art. There is a  lot that goes into the daily life of an artist and sometimes it doesn't end there. When I get home I find I still need to spend time in the evening doing research on the internet, looking at galleries and updating my portfolio but after a day of creating and being on your feet, it is quite exhausting.

I decided that coming to the studio earlier in the mornings might be a better option for me to try and do some writing then. I feel more refreshed and the thoughts seem to flow easier for me at that time of day.

Red Sky 2012, oil on canvas 72 x 48 in.

Lately, I have been concentrating on creating work from some older paintings that where shelved or abandoned after numerous attempts to paint something and failing miserably. This often happens to me when I am trying something new at the easel. 

As I am someone who hardly ever throws anything away, I would rather put it aside for another day. It might also be that you lose interest in what you are doing at the time, get side-tracked or turn your attention to some new idea that just popped into your head. 

At the very least these forgotten works all have  'great bones' to start something new on. They all have this great build up of texture and paint on the surface which I think is always a great way to start a painting. 

These abandoned works have so much movement and character and by adding more to what is already there, they somehow feel fresher and newer and giving them a second life is both interesting and challenging. They instantly become new-older work. 

I wonder what else is hiding in the 'unfinished artwork' pile.

Note to self: Start a bunch of paintings, put them aside and come back to them in six months. Reminds me of letting steaks age for awhile before you eat them...so much tastier. 

Have a great day everyone.