Shimmers and Shakes

Been toggling between three canvases this week and really enjoying the process.  I love the hyper-focus of problem solving.  Turning, twisting and reconfiguring when technical or aesthetic obstacles arise.  Painting allows me those moments of  having to rise to the occasion.  It expands my thought processes past all expectations just to meet and greet each stage.  I lay my brain open to envision, fill and process while simply visualizing.

I’m not the kind of person who need to physically see the actuality of a “real world” thing in order to envision it.  There has never been a time that I haven’t been able to envision any color, shape or line in situ at my disposal.  Imagining a vase in blue or red or lit differently comes as naturally to me as  breathing.  Everyone once in a while I may pre-jot one across a canvas and step back but only as confirmation check before I make is so.  And generally that is when the work is nearly complete and it only needs that one last division of space.

So it’s always a surprise when I find unexpected turns in the creation of a particular piece, despite that this seems like a regular event – LOL.

The other day I went to paint my background blue and found that the paint itself was not lending itself to the glazing medium.  It just became too ‘streaky’. I couldn’t go opaque because this paint layer needs to be translucent.  Despite looking through most of my blues for one that would tolerate the effect, I was at a loss.  But then, as often is the case in the creative process, a tube of yellow caught my eye.  After pulling it out, my eyebrow raised and there it was, the answer :  metallic gold.  This color is not only translucent, it shimmers and shakes! I set out  a dab out and watched it glisten.

This work is still in it’s early phases, but it’s a whole new fun being had. : )

Britt