A Canvas Story (Continued)
“Before Breakfast” was a very textured impasto and as it progressed, I quickly lost my intention of what I had envisioned. Its center section was a pale wash of teal & tan - basically blank, but I declared it finished even though I knew quite well that it was lacking. And thus, I installed it on my living room wall in the hopes that eventually, the final vision would come to me.
Okay, okay…it may not have been 2000 years later, but more like 10. It felt like longer. Fast forward to 2021, and a move from Nevada to Ohio. “Before Breakfast” was carefully packed and survived the move without issue.
I was enjoying plein air painting in my first real autumn season in 25 years and was mesmerized by the glowing colors in the forests around me.
The daily hikes and the hundreds of photos I took quickly motivated me to bring a new vision to the 36”x36” canvas still wrapped up in the garage. The first step was to sand down the rough impasto of the acrylic paint, but not completely erase the original topography. I wanted hints of the history to be felt in the new work.
Once sanded, I primed a couple coats of gesso over the entire surface to cover the old colors. Now it was time to begin sketching the new painting and experimenting with the color palette.
Stay tuned for Part 3 of “A Canvas Story” coming November 28, 2022. Happy Thanksgiving!