Description
You can plan all you want but when a painting wants to get done, it jumps the queue no matter what you thought you’d be working on. This piece conspired with the Universe to jump an almighty queue (a portrait, a website, a business plan, a papier-mache bowl, my 6 month old!) and teach me a thing or two. Thank you oh still-to-be-named Impromptu Texture Experiment and thank you Universe.
Where to begin? Well, once a month I go to Frog’s Folly Studio in Harpenden and paint with my buddy Belinda, it’s her studio. This month the plan was, and those of you following me on Facebook will recognise this,
“Gonna be doing some decoupage tomorrow. Background for my TropiChris piece (a semi-abstract portrait of the hubby in Tropicalia style), and a family history bowl. Here’s some of the prelim work on TropiChris…” – Wed 22 May, 2013.
Ha! By the next morning, my status read:
“Change of plans: So I just realised I’m missing some images for the TropiChris background so need to halt on that. No sweat, I’ve still got to make the bowl. So I’m off to grab some of that old newspaper I’ve been saving and… wait… where is it? Thank you hubby for finally doing the recycling with my papier-mache stash. Sigh. BUT Belinda saves the day! She’s doing an acrylic texture session at her Frog’s Folly Studio and I get to join in. Alas, my creative day has been saved! Come on Zo, it’s time to paint!” – Thur 23 May 2013.
So bright and early Thursday morning, I get Smalls off to the childminder and begin to pack.
Easel with paints – check!
Bag of tissue paper, sketchbooks, pencil case, possible texture-y stuff, painting apron & smock – check!
Zo’s changing bag: bottles, nappies, spare clothing, muslins, bibs, etc – check!
Zo’s baby gym, need to distract Smallest so I can get something done – check!
Music for the drive? Got my Tinie Tempah, Fernando’s Kitchen and Red Hot in Rio cd’s – check!
Nice.
I bundle Zo into her car seat and off we go, with a totally new plan for my Frog’s Folly painting day.
Today, Belinda is teaching both Elspeth and I about gesso and acrylic gels, today we’ll be using glass beads. Zo sits in on the demo for Step 1. She’s so curious about the paint on the table she can’t focus on her bottle. My nosey little girl, will you be an artist too?
All day at Belinda’s, things were flowing nicely but then I got home and got stuck. What should I do next? Best if I shift focus for a bit.
….A couple layers of the 70th Birthday Bowl and a night later…
I realised that I had no idea how to complete this painting so I did the next best thing. Put on some music that seemed to fit the piece so far and then let the music and my intuition take me, hence the minimal commentary to follow.
What music did I play – a wicked selection of sexy, saucy, powerful Caribbean female calypsonians – Alison Hinds “Roll it Gyal“, Faye Ann Lyons “Yuh Aint Seen Nutten Yet“, Denise Belfon “Out a de Kitchen”, and so many more! And when I surfaced from my music induced haze, she was there.
Ever did a painting that made you feel sexy? I’m bouncing off the walls excited feeling as fly and super delicious as… as… I dunno what! But right now, I’m the shiznits! Woohoo!
… a week later…
I was back at it again. Something wasn’t quite right. I still liked the piece, but I’d like it more if I did something to it. After much scrutiny, I decided. That extra imp in the bottom left hand corner was really irritating me – time to extend the Madame and lose the imp. Everything takes forever with a toddler and baby in tow and the removal of the imp was no different. It took me 6 days but finally the mini-man was gone, her arm was extended, and the background repaired. Coming back to it a week, 2 weeks, a month, 6 months later… I loved her even more. I think of her as my Mona Lisa because she says so much with such a subtle smile. Now if she’d only earn me some Mona Lisa-esque acclaim so I can pay the bills a bit more easily. Hmmmm 🙂
