A Bird in the Hand

Anatomy of a painting.

When I paint, I don't think, I just do. With this painting, I paid attention to the process. Here's how it went.

I started painting a red sky. It didn't feel right, so I turned the canvas upside down. It began looking like a mountain or a volcano. Better. I was going to have an antique airplane fly over it. It could have worked, but I didn't feel it was right (notice that I go by "feeling" as well as visual). I added more red paint, more strokes. Then I let it rest.

When I went back to it, I turned the canvas on its side, and I saw a wing. I could have left it that way and called it Red Wing, but I felt it wasn't finished. After another break, I cut out a silhouette, painted it and placed it on the canvas. It felt right, but I didn't rush to glue it down. I felt that a third element was about to make itself known. and sure enough, red string connecting the silhouette to the wing.

I would have included a photo of the painting, but Blogger just isn't functioning that way. Lately it's been a struggle adding photos. And right now, it's just refusing to do so. I'll try again later.



Be good to your friends -- Kevin Bacon.