Diary of an Exhibition – Mask
I allow myself to fail…. it’s a good strategy for success with oil paint, oil paint allows change
I am wearing a mask in the studio thinking about choices
Wear the mask and paint, or chose another medium?
I love to paint in oils
So today I chose to paint, and I will paint big and go for it
I will put my mask on and paint for the day….I will be disciplined and not breathe in any fumes
Painting the sea, I decide that it is easier to paint form than the formless
Painting the sea and the wind and the feeling of the beach is a challenge
Painting a horse or a lion feels easier
I stand at my easel and stay with it
The job is to feel – feel the movement, feel the space, feel the wind, feel myself there
A photograph is always going to be 2d and flat, no matter how beautiful
A painting has a chance of expressing something of the multi dimensional experience of being on the beach
Painting might seem old hat, but it does it for me!
When painting, it is best not to judge the progress of the painting
Stay present to every brush mark
Be in the painting
I am painting a large seascape
Evoking the beach
Disciplined about wearing my mask
The day is cold and sunny and bright, the door is open
Maisie dog is being undemanding
I woke this morning thinking about chalk pastels
The perfect medium to take to the beach
Instant colour
A solution for sketching
I am happy with that thought
I must make every brush mark count today
I can’t afford to waste my lungs – too many years painting in oils and breathing in toxic fumes
Now I have to limit the amount of oil paintings I make
Today I painted the sea
Wind and Sea
Oil on Canvas
80 x 100 cms
Tools of the trade
The aftermath
I am a very messy painter!