storm XXIII

The great advantage of the studio tour day was that it tied me to the easel for the entire day. It was really nice to hang out with Larkin for the day too. 

 

 

 

I got plenty of work done to the painting, darkening the sky and ocean with a deep dark blue and green respectively. I spent a long time simply looking at the work and figuring out the compositional problem of the bottom edge and the right hand corner below and to the right of the feathers. The rock surface still bothers me, so I extended it all the way over to the left so that it echoes the shape of the clouds and the island. I intend to paint ivy over the surfaces of the rock in the foreground and in some of the clefts further back. I’m curious about how close to the figure it will grow, perhaps tendrils of it might even creep onto her as she is caught in her dream.

 

 

As a painting progresses I find I spend more and more time looking and working out what needs to happen to it in my mind’s eye. By the time I get to the end sometimes I’ll sit for as long as an hour or so simply observing the piece for problems and areas that need more or less detail.