02/22/2004: "Three new paintings"

Last night I spent 4 hours in PhotoShop working on designs for some new paintings. I came up with two that I really like, and one that's ok. I've sketched them onto canvas last night and this afternoon I painted one of them, and did some work on one of the other ones that I had been waiting on to dry before I could add another layer.

I've started using a lot of liquin to get the oils to dry a little faster. Now, what I learned in art school is "fat over lean"...that you always add more oil to new layers that you add. I'm not really sure how that works when you use a drying medium like liquin but I'm adding a bit of walnut oil just to be on the safe side.

Now, I can't decide if I want to paint the little painting of the design that I like but don't feel ga ga about. I'm at the point now where I really only want to spend the time on a painting if it's one I love. Still, I am now working on 8 canvases and they are starting to come together as a body of work. They are hanging all up on the walls of my livingroom/studio, and kitchen. I have three more blank canvases left...I'm considering buying some more. Overall I'm still really pleased with the Vincent masterpiece masterwrap prestreched canvases.

Also, my new easle should FINALLY becoming in. I ordered it from Dick Blick back in December and it was supposedly available and yet I keep waiting and waiting for it. It will be so nice to have a stable easle as opposed to the flimsy little thing I built 10 years ago when I first moved to Alaska.