Yesterday, I painted an 8"x 10" image of some cooks in a restaurant. I allowed myself to use as many strokes of color as I wanted. I lost count but I am sure that it exceeded 300. This was painting one in a series of paintings. The second painting that I completed today was painted with half the number of strokes and I think that was around 150. The final painting which I will tackle tomorrow will be the same scene painted with half again making the total strokes under 75. This is a very interesting and somewhat challenging exercise. I can see in todays painting that I deliberated more with each stroke capturing shapes of color and value. The shapes are larger and more purposeful. There is however something in the first painting that I like and that is atmosphere. If I can somehow merge these two aspects into one painting then I think that I will have crossed a milestone. I also want to work on the color and try to work in a darker range of values. On a scale of 10 to 1 with 10 being the darkest; I want to work in the 4 to 10 range. I think that will help create some of the atmosphere that I am looking for. I will continue to use a limited palette of only 3 colors and white. Softer edges will help to create the atmosphere that I am seeking.
Also, in regards to yesterdays posting. It is naïve to think that a person can't paint to sell, that is the way to be able to keep the paintings moving forward. You need money to buy art supplies. The challenge therefore is to paint what you love. And, Love what you paint!!
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