Baby
acrylic on canvas
18 x 24 inches
Barbara Muir © 2009
(Here's the next few baby steps (couldn't
resist -- you get a bit crazy doing this as you know).
It's been a day of adjusting the size and colour
of many things in the painting. Among other things
the dress colour changed. Now it's much better.
And now for pattern on the dress, perhaps
a toy, and the background once the hands are done.)
your painting with a shrewd, appraising eye. Today
I kept standing back with the shrewd appraising
eye and getting nowhere. Went to the copy shop,
broke my baby down into parts and whapped out
big images (okay so they were bitmapping), but
then I stared and stared, I adjusted this, and
that. I set the timer and took it on in small chunks
of time.
Finally at around six I decided to take a reading break
and fell asleep. Then it hit me. Trying to do a pink
dress on a pink baby, even with a dark mauve underpainting
was not working! I dreamt the baby in yellow, then woke
up and went for a very long walk with Steven, came
back and plunged in. Now little baby is starting to look
a whole lot happier, and more like herself.
So if something is troubling you get away. I still have
to do her hands, the detailed print on her dress, and the
background, plus refine her toes, but Baby is coming
together! Hallelujah.
By the way. I think as much as being around all of
you is speeding up my painting ability, have you
noticed you're impatient with work that takes time?
Maybe I'm that way because I want to show everything
to you right away, like a little kid in kindergarten
hoping you'll put it on the fridge. Not yet my
friends. Wait a day or so.
Have a getting-away-to-see-the-light day.
4 comments:
It's looking great, Barbara--I love the yellow. Maybe I should try dreaming! ;-)
I think you're absolutely right about being impatient with work that takes time: I find myself knocking out small, improvisational watercolors, rather than planning and working on something larger or more considered.
It's funny because I was just thinking this morning that it's time to break that pattern.
Hi Laura,
I think what we need is both, I'm just trying to figure out the discipline for both. I love the faster work, and it makes you much surer footed as an artist, and I love the sustained work, although I am wildly impatient with my thought process.
Thanks for your kind words. They really make a big difference.
Take care,
Barbara
Just wanted to add: Florence (and Venice) is dream #2--which I'm going to begin concentrating on right after dream #1 becomes a reality!
I'll toast you too from the deck of the boat!
Hi Barbara,
I love seeing your work as it progresses, so I am happy you cannot wait to show it. I too get impatient with works that take longer than I think they should.
Tammy
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