Let the work teach you

Lina's back door
black marker and graphite on bond paper
8 x 10 inches
Barbara Muir © 2010
(I did this little sketch very quickly in my
brother and sister-in-law's kitchen. What
intrigued me was the chord from the
blinds hanging over a coat by the door.
I was attempting to capture the strong darks and
lights created by the trees and outbuildings set
against the snow.Then there was a
lovely grouping of flowers and big plants
in planters set against the window. It
is absolutely beautiful there.)

One of the reasons I was glad to get my paintings home
the other day, aside from the fact that I might show
them again quite soon, is that they are good in my
opinion. I know that sounds high handed of me,
but what I mean is I need them to help me answer
some questions that may arise in the next few weeks.

I brought home an experimental canvas the other
day. I didn't buy it from my usual supplier, and
it is slightly different in texture, gessoed, ready
to go. But I have a couple of things I must do before
I spend anymore time just fooling around.

The question came flashing into my brain -- "But
what colour of ground should I use for my next big
work?" I've been using orange, or rust forever. Recently
I've used black, then I did a dark purple (not as
nice as black.) But for this a mother and child
(I think) I might use a peachy pink ground. I
decided that when I saw a self-portrait staring
down at me the other day and realized. Yes.
Good colour for Blondes (the boy) and maybe
even Mommy (not blonde). I have also tried one ground
colour in one part of the painting and another in
another. This works too.

Self-portrait: The Happy Artist
acrylic on canvas
36 x 36 inches
Barbara Muir © 2009
(Note the peach background and how it
works with a blonde subject (moi in this case).)

Aside from all this I am marking today, and may
not get to paint. Forgive me. I need to catch
up, and I'd love to get ahead with my schoolwork.

Back to the discussion. Painting the street paintings
I line up some of the other street paintings. They
are like a cheering section. I select several small
paintings from different seasons and they talk
to me. (Yes I'm a bit crazy -- maybe you should try
it!) They say "see! see! see! Try this. Look at me!"
In that way they are like small children and cats.
But I do look, just the way I look at all of your work,
and I say "Aha! You are right my tiny friends." So for
my much larger work the three portraits of young
women that I showed in the Biennale may be my
guides, and when I was painting them, other
paintings gathered on the floor near my easel
and taught me things about light and colour.

Have a learning-from-your-paintings day.