Today is the day I can begin to finish paintings I've had hanging around my studio all summer, and some even longer. I am through with the summer art festivals and I just finished a commission that was picked up Friday, so now my time is my own. Having unfinished paintings around my studio gives me something to look forward to and also allows me to study the paintings and decide what I want to do to them to make them say what I want them to. Studio painting is so different from plein air or alla prima. Feeling that I have time to make decisions about the piece is something I really enjoy. You can compare it to writing in the sense that alla prima is like journal writing-quick impressions with very little planning, and building a painting over time is more like writing a novel. You write and edit, write and edit and edit and change. I really appreciate that process. I know some artists say that the quick, alla prima style gives the work a special quality, but I don't see it. I am inspired by any artists processes, but I also respect the decisions individual artist make about their unique processes. I love it, just love it.
You're right about alla prima...I'm a big fan of it as you know, but it is like writing in a journal rather than the novel or novella that you pursue. I have lots of respect for your patience and long term commitment to a painting. Isn't this one that I saw at Monhegan this summer?
ReplyDeleteNice blog, btw.
No, this painting I've had in my studio, not wanting to show it. After I changed it, though, I have been able to show it without too much hesitation. Actually, I kinda like it now.
ReplyDeleteHello, me again. You're right, I had it on Monhegan this summer, I thought you were referring to the Fish Houses and Boats. Oops.
ReplyDelete