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Big and bold

Well the last thing I felt like doing at 9.30 this morning was painting a 8 x 4 feet board since I had a rotten nights sleep due to starting a cold yesterday, and waking up every half hour during the sleeping hours feeling  thirsty and hot. But today was the day the projectionist was coming and although I didn’t feel like doing anything but slobbing in a chair I dragged myself out as using his services would be far quicker than drawing the image out without his help. I got to the building we’re working in, and hung around whilst another artist drew out her image from the drawing projected onto the board on the other side of the room. I’ve never used this technique before and when it was my turn I’d drawn it out in less than five minutes, which saved loads of time. I wanted to get started with the painting, but didn’t feel well at all but as the first colours went on and I saw my painting come to life, I wanted to do more and more and felt totally revitalised! Amazing the power of art! I was working in an unheated outbuilding behind a business premises, on a cold concrete floor, with the door wide open and felt great! I came home for lunch at 12 to pick up a few more bits and was back there again at 1pm, on my own and perfectly happy as I got on with the painting and blocked in the  different colours watching the painting come to life.

The comedian artist from last week came in at 3 so we worked together companionably on our own paintings and had bits of chat about art, art workshops, art exhibitions and life in general. I like him, not only is he an entertaining character he’s a talented artist too. I learnt alot about painting these 8 x 4 feet boards from him, he advised that its not a “painting” as such its an art board, therefore the stuff that you would do to get a painting right you don’t need to do for these boards, so don’t get all precious over it. That was good advice as you can see small things within the painting that you want to change, but when the picture is going to be viewed from 20 feet away by people carrying shopping as they walk up the main street its not worth making it too detailed. I’m loving my painting though and the way its coming on, after the six hours of painting today I’ve done most of it except for the black paint which I can easily do tomorrow, then its finished. I’m amazed at how little of all the matchpots that I bought last week I’ve used, I thought I wouldn’t have enought and I’ve hardly touched them.  I’ve never painted such a big picture and I’m loving it, having it propped up against the wall as I paint and being able to step back ten feet to view it to make sure it looks right at a distance. Its great fun!