Double Dipping in the Studio

After the meltdown the other day, I dared to enter the studio today intending to paint. I can’t help it, painting calls me. I thought about working on the new one, but there’s now a fear of goofing it up. However, there was something else also on my mind.

I wonder if artists ever stop trying to make their studios better. The other day, Andy helped put casters on the bottom of the drafting table easel. This way I can angle the heavy table easily to catch certain light. Of course, this meant I had to raise the chair, but it works, and my feet still touch the floor.

I also recently purchased a different clip-on lamp to light up my pastel trays better to help me choose correct color shades. It was the wrong kind of lamp for that purpose but turning it onto the standup easel made a big difference. The light coming from above the painting is much better than the overhead shining down on me and casting shadows from my hands onto the paper depending on how I move.

I turned around and my eyes lit on the (questionable in my mind) painting “Softly Comes the Dawn.” It looks good from a couple feet away, but when I step close... I decided to put suggestions received into play. I did a little, but with all the pastel layers, it’s hard to add any more. I tried to fix the sky where the yellow I’d intended to lightly feather over the blue instead mixed with the blue creating a greenish tinge. Most of the time I’m able to do this as pastels don’t normally blend well together, and usually looks muddy when they do. This green was not so good for sky color. I took the painting outside and sprayed it with Sennelier fixative. Maybe it’ll help when I try to touch up the sky.

I turned back to the standup easel and the newest painting, “Disappearing River.” I’d already been working on values, decided to do more. I also worked on shapes using a yellow-green soft pastel. Something about doing this in the green color helped me see other aspects to determine positioning and layout. Of course, I had to keep reminding myself I can’t be doing any detail yet.

The busy photograph sometimes makes it difficult to see actual detail, but for me, it’s not about replicating the photo but creating an interesting scene. I played around some more with black and a little orange. The shape of the little spit of land jutting out in the distance is giving me trouble. I’m struggling with the shape/perspective/angle. Perhaps this is an are where sitting at the DT easel will help me see this area better.

I feel better about my work today. I can’t help it. There’s something about painting with pastels that feels comforting, even when I’m frustrated. I feel I have to do it, just as I feel I have to write.