Day 19:
There’s a reliable pattern to a painting marathon. You start out tentative, maybe a little rusty. You push through some bad ones, some exercises, and suddenly there’s a peak – (a little too close to the middle for my liking) – when you hit your stride. You’re doing things you never expected.
Making breakthroughs!
Or at least, taking risks – based on new-found confidence.
This is the point where you have enough good work in the bag you won’t be ashamed of yourself, but you haven’t beaten your personal-best yet either.
It’s a public performance after all – so you find yourself willing to bang out a piece you’d frankly have been scared to try previously.
It’s time to go big, or go home.
If I had to put a finger on it, I’d say what’s changing is my use of brushstrokes, versus shapes.
In the past I might have emphasized fusing all the strokes within a silhouette. So every wet shape is solidly melted together. (If you’re a regular reader, I’m sure you’ve heard me say that.)
Right now, I’m willing to leave things broken up. It’s turning into individual brush-marks floating and layering over each other – building up a mosaic.
Maybe this is coming from my last two years of oil painting?
I don’t know, but I’m open to where it’s going.
