One of my goals for this year is to paint small and often.
December was such a hectic month that it has actually been some time since I last held a brush in anger (a turn of phrase probably not far from the truth) so I was expecting to be a touch rusty, however I just needed to get back into some consistent practice.
Painting small and often (so I’m reliably told) frees you to attack the canvas with a less inhibited mindset as the investment (in both time and materials) isn’t that large per piece.
In addition, I’ve decided to begin the year by focusing solely on value (darks and lights) to describe the form and improve my skills in this area without complicating things further with the addition of colour.
Not having anything specific in mind to paint, I just needed to start with something using an interesting image I found online as the basis, Twin Vessel Value Study was the result. As the first painting of 2015 it was good to blow a few of the cobwebs out. From a simple hours work, I now have a number of things I know I need to work on and have established a basic ground zero to build from.
So far so good on the ‘small and often’ premise.
In addition, it was the first time painting in my new setup in the shed. It is still a pretty basic space, but just the fact I don’t have to pack everything away only to pull everything out again next time will do wonders for my enthusiasm to get stuck into it.
Onwards and upwards.
