Caught the last half of a programme on Sky Arts last night, about Joan Mitchell, the abstract painter; I was annoyed that I hadn't realised it was on as it was very interesting. Her work is wondrous. When pressed to talk about how she makes her paintings she was adamant that she doesn't think about it when she is painting - she just paints. This is what I do, and like her, I think about the work critically after each session, I agree with her that the act of painting is instinctive.
The day had started very brightly; a cold blustery wind and lots of sunshine. I made a phone call to the storage facility where so much of our stuff has been for the past 6 years and arranged to have it retrieved and delivered home. This means that I shall at last have access to my art library and my other plan chests, some of my other work and equipment, including an antique folding screen printing table. I am now going to have to spend some time making space in our incomplete extension to store some of the stuff while books and furniture can be spread around the existing rooms of the house.
I digress; I was in the studio this morning by just after 11 am. It took much less time than I anticipated to complete the two paintings I was working on, and as the clouds closed in and the wind got colder, the rain turned to sleet then snow.
Stages of the painting based on Summer (untitled)
I have ordered one large stretcher to match the size of the others I have that were left over from my degree work all those years ago, and once this arrives, along with the ones from the storage company, I'll stretch them up with canvas and prime them ready for work. The studio is just about big enough for me to work on all four at once I think. The very large canvases that are still on the walls will be covered in plastic to protect them, which will mean they can stay in place until I decide what to do about them. My problem is that the really large one may not fit in the van I have in mind so I have to do some ringing round to find out sizes and costs of hire!
Based on ideas to do with Spring, not properly titled yet
Large painting behind, based on Winter. In front: working titles - Summer, Spring, Winter
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