Weird, isn't it???

Morning Mist

30"x40"

It's funny that no matter how much I'm determined to blog every day, life seems to get in the way. Before I know it, a whole month has gone by!

I have been pretty busy working on some new paintings. You know how I love to experiment with new techniques. I think I have AADD - Art Attention Deficit Disorder. After exploring a particular style or technique, I seem to hit a dry spell and need to try something totally different. But, don't worry, I won't be mass-producing any nostalgic little cottages with golden light pouring from the windows!

Lately, I've been working on unstretched canvas that is stapled to a luan board. I like the hard surface. It lets me do my stamping and scrubbing without flexing the way stretched canvas does. Lowe's and Home Depot are great sources for supplies that I can't find at the art supply houses. Paint rollers, sponges, acrylic patch compound and floor adhesive spreaders are great to have in my arsenal of tools and materials. There's absolutely no reason why an artist can't use whatever materials are available to create an image. Of course, it's always a good idea to make sure the materials are archival. If you're wondering about the acrylic patch compound, I use it to texture my canvas before painting. It's a great substitute for the more expensive modeling paste. Just be sure not to buy the kind that has limestone in it - that will suck the moisture out of your paint faster than you can imagine. In no time at all, the paint and spackle just flake right off the canvas- believe me, I know from experience! Anyway, if you plan to try the texturing technique, use Elastomeric Custom Patch available from Home Depot.

I staple and tape the edges of my canvas to the luan board. After applying a thin layer of the patch compound, sometimes mixed with gesso, and allowing it to dry, I apply a couple of coats of gesso. That pretty much seals the surface and then I'm ready to paint as soon as the surface of the canvas is bone dry. When the painting is complete, I remove the tape and staples. I love the nice clean edge around the canvas. It almost looks like a print! Now, the painting is ready to be stretched on bars or to be rolled up for shipping. This is one method that allows me to paint in some large sizes that I normally would not attempt.

Here is one of the paintings I finished a couple of days ago. It measures 30"x40" and is pretty spectacular, if I say so myself. It is available on Ebay right now for a one-time listing. Hope you check it out!