Slowing up

Definitely overworked last week preparing the display for Emmaus and getting back to the groups after Christmas. Got out of my normal routine and really that meant that there wasn't a lot of time left for the Dailies and I have got behind . Try and catch up today.

It feels like I am loosing the muse , the motivation to paint the Dailies. Well , often as I come to the end stages of any project, I loose a little interest , what' s going to help me get my motivation ?.Well;

Going into the studio
Prepare some boards ( I went and got the last big number , 40 boards cut at B and Q on Wednesday, 40 boards )
Don't overthink it .... Just paint
Get off the graphite/ tonal work ..... It keeps me down
Try and enjoy it..... I am so lucky to do this
Make a display for another part of the house
Go light, neutral
Switch the sad light on
Return to the reasons I started the Dailies
Change to figures/ abstracts
Read all my blog to reflect on the experience
Let stuff happen...... Don't try and control everything.......


See if any of these help.........report later

Painted four boards with old, dark paint as a primer.

Worked back into them when the dark paint was mainly dry with a few patches not fully dried out.

Techniques I used...... Lots of tonking.......scrapings of graphite pressed into the paint........mixing pale neutral colours of greys........using pencil marks.........spraying the work with clear water ..... Using gesso mixed in with the acrylic to take the shine away.........using card to put the paint down and to take the paint back off too.......printing on ( painting a colour on card and printing it onto the work ) ....scratching the top layer of paint off to reveal the underneath colour ... the usual really .....

Thought I would work on neutral pieces maybe for a lounge wall painted in soft coffee. Not making the decision yet though.

These four Daily paintings displayed on the charcoal wall.Lets see what they look like on the soft coffee wall.

Loved some of the textures and marks on the paper that I used to take the excess paint off ( tonking )

Loved this morning. Don't know what all the angst was earlier.What next ? Look some more at neutrals. When I think about neutral paintings I like them large..... Do they really work on the 52 cm sq ? That's the challenge. I like Christian Hertzel's work, but it definitely feels testosterone. I like Rebecca Crowell, lots of texture, but placed almost, the opposite of mine really. Research neutral paintings........