There is so much going on lately it's difficult for me to maintain my focus. Among other things, this weekend I'll be up in Flagstaff at the Museum of Northern Arizona as the artist in residence (for lack of a better term) at the Trappings Exhibit. I'll be talking about my work in the exhibit, demonstrating ink washes and pen and ink drawing, and selling my prints, posters and notecards...
Art isn't always just about painting...
(there's that money thing).
The past few days I've been fleshing out the background in a subtle attempt to emphasize my circular composition and further define the wooded setting. I'm pretty much following the lead of the painted surface to formulate the leaf patterns, branches, and ground coverings, keeping in mind that these elements should not over power the crow figures.
Taking the lead of the surface in this manner allows the background to look more as though it grew into place. When I think about how I'm painting natural patterns they tend to look forced; being random is ... well, random. Likewise, when horizontal and vertical lines are parallel to the edges of the canvas they tend to look static, so I've tilted the posts in on each other a bit to add some whimsy. I haven't decided how to negotiate the fabric... that puzzle will have to live a few more days.
With this close-up you can see there are some details starting to emerge. I'm hoping to maintain the painterly aspects of the brushwork, rather than over compensate my way into photo-realism. I'm slowly focusing the details over the entire surface until I am satisfied with the image. In the past I've pretty much started then completed one area at a time, working my way across the canvas. This free-range style of painting is refreshing!
Paint well...
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