It’s been busy year what with working on the new house most weekends and working two new jobs. After moving in just before Christmas and having had some time to sort out my new art studio. I finally put paint to canvas and completed my first painting in 11 months.
It’s still amazing how much fear I feel before painting, especially this time round after not painting for so long. I opted for oils, a medium I haven’t worked with since 2017. They took a bit of getting used to but before long I was completely absorbed in my work (I made a coffee and before I knew it, it was stone cold).
I chose a scene from Cefn Sidan photographed on a sunny late-December’s day. Welsh beaches are incredible this time of year when the handful of visitors taking a stroll become mere dots against vast swathes of sand.
As usual, once I finished the painting my thoughts on it oscillated from pleased to not pleased with the end result. I think maybe if I just keep churning out paintings, I may get to the stage where I get in a groove and the self-criticism isn’t so prevalent.
So this session has brought up a whole load of things I need to think about. Do I need to add additional gesso to the canvas before I paint? What about my process? Should I try underpainting first? And what about varnishing in a few months when it’s dry?
Still, it’s a positive step forward and I can’t wait to get going on more.
Oils on 7×5 inch canvas wrap.
