Tuesday, May 08, 2012

Hot Mess



Yes, my work space is typically a hot mess. 

But I'm referring more specifically to that stage of a painting when all hope is lost or, at first glance, appears so. The first touch of paint to canvas can give one pause because it usually looks horrific, lacking all hope.  A singular Hot Mess.

To wit:


Polly want a make over?

Yes.

Charcoal showing through, I apply thin washes of paint with turpentine and map out the color plan for the painting. Veins and capillaries snake over the canvas.


It's still a hot mess.


Polly want a pedicure?


I add washes of color across the background, too, hoping that the charcoal grid will soon disappear.


Ok, a layer of paint everywhere, time to build up some more layers. Using less turpentine and thicker paint.


Talk to me, bird.


I have a colleague who owns a parrot. A bit of a sociopath, (the bird, that is,not my colleague) he would imitate his owner's voice and call the dog  to come upstairs. When the gullible mutt bounded into the room, the parrot  promptly cursed the dog out, calling him "bad dog, bad dog!"

The claws are coming out......!


That parrot was also adept at mimicking that squeaking sound  that you make when you wipe down a window with paper towels and windex - eeen-eeen-eeen eeeeee,   eeen-eeen-eeen

Coming together.


Decide to add some thatch...a little more island stylee.



Just about done -- might want to do a little more with the background, perhaps some glazing. Dunno. But so far so good. 

What do you think?

1 comment:

dinahmow said...

I think it's a good macaw. :-)