Day One: "Murder of Crows"

I'm trying a new approach here, both in producing this blog and in the way I paint. Before when I began a painting I quickly obscured the abstract foundations from which I started, and proceeded to complete a photo realistic image. Over the past few months I've done a lot of plein aire painting and I've enjoyed looking at the randomness of patterns in nature. These sessions outdoors have in a round about way influenced my approach with this project.

To build this painting I've begun with a working sketch on paper from a figurative reference. This drawing is about three foot square executed in vine charcoal. What is most interesting to me about this composition is it's classic pyramidal shape composed of three simple forms, leaning in on each other. As it reads here, this image could make a worthwhile painting, but I've come to a point where I want to say more, to explore painting to a fuller extent. With this painting I hope to combine the random structural patterns of nature I've been looking at with figural forms.

I've prepared a canvas, four foot square. I hand stretch my canvases using cotton duck or linen (this canvas is cotton duck), I use a canvas puller and copper tacks, not staples. I'm very interested in the surface texture of my painting. Seeing the texture of the canvas through a thin layer of paint for me, is disappointing. I brush on at least three heavy layers of acrylic gesso, I do not sand the surface between layers because I want to build up the texture.

This is the first day of work on this project. As this project progresses, I will document each days work. I would like to encourage comments from those who follow along...

Paint well!