Playing with Color, Impatiently

Sometimes the only way to begin is just to begin, not planning much, not arranging the paints, not a lot of anything. I can easily spend days preparing and never get around to painting. Bad thing.

So this time I grabbed a tiny (5"x7") canvas board, put tubes of some of my fave oil colors in my masterson palette, opened the Gamsol, and dug in. Reference: imagination, remembering of sunsets. So think of this as an abstract, having fun will color. Doesn't look like any real sunset you'll find. Ah well. At such times, that it's something is something big. Anyway, I do like the colors!

Small is hard, going bigger next, than on to very big pretty soon. Interspersed with more pastels.

Speaking of pastels, I got some Lascaux fixative for pastels; it's clear—really—and several coats render the work framable without mat and glass. So they say, and I sure want to believe 'em! If not, almost—once sprayed well, it's possible to use special varnish that does do the job. Later, I found a ground from Golden that makes any surface a surface for pastel painting. I've covered a gallery wrapped canvas with it and that will be the surface for my next pastel (which will be soon!).

Next post—mebbe—how playing the piano, badly but joyfully, is helping my art and writing!