Sometime last month, I picked up my brushes on a whim and sat down to paint a random photo from my phone. A film-esque shot of a plant I sat beside with seemed like the right pick, so I then started a promising new painting with one of my few remaining canvas panels left.
Day one of that is documented here:
I had thought it was easy enough to complete perhaps by the day after. Adding the fact that just the day prior, I finished a more complicated work, I was hopeful. Until the days had turned into weeks and by the time I got back to it, I had no idea anymore what to do.
Despite my initial plan of keeping the majority of my days empty to allow for spontaneous creative work of whatever kind (the only “structure” was supposed to be a requirement of one finished work daily), I have recently set-up a full routine of everything I do… yet again. The initial plan, well, just didn’t work. However, besides a better, more “productive” (meaning still with sufficient rest and lull times) schedule, I now have stronger arguments to defend the necessity of structure especially when it comes to creative work.
And also the finished painting above, as well as more serious “studies”. At least an attempt at them. I am looking forward to spending next week’s daily painting hour creating more of them, perhaps with watercolor this time.
My parents have been complaining that my paintings are never large enough but the detail work that comes with these smaller pieces are just so exhilarating. Even more so when one has chronic shoulder pains. I now eat with my right hand more often just so I can continue painting more precisely with my left. Everything works out.
I do need smaller brushes. Works like these really make one notice the differences in brush size and quality. Fine detail brushes can be so pricy and it’s difficult to order them online because I like to see and examine them carefully first whenever I purchase new brushes, but I guess I should get them and some larger canvases soon.