Stream - Day 10
bco
I spent roughly an hour and 20 minutes on this today, focusing exclusively on the leaves to the right. I like where they're going. The leaves (on both sides) still need some cleanup, and then I need to finish the water...at which point I think I will finally be done with this one. I think that next week, after I finish this thing, I need to have a painting-a-day-athon. (Please disregard that complete and utter mangling of the English language.) I keep getting so anxious about screwing this painting up that I stop after an hour of work or so, and taking more than 10 days to finish what will probably be a 15-20 hour painting is just absurd. Taking more than 5 days is absurd, let alone 10 or 15.
Or, rather, it's absurd because I'm not working on much else. I need to figure out a way to easily switch between paintings so I can work on more than one at a time. The answer might be another easel, but I don't have the space. Having multiple boards for each painting could work, but it's risky to leave them on the floor off the easel. I could bump into them, they could fall, the pastel dust from whatever painting I'm working on could sift down onto it and muddy it up, etc., etc. Maybe what I need is a nice high shelf with a lip that I could place the paintings on, lined with glassine paper so I don't get any dust on the wall.
In any case, the bottom line is that I am frustrated with my low output. Whether I can figure out a way to do more than one major painting at a time is beside the point; even if I can work on more than one, I still run the risk of being too nervous to make bold decisions. Which is why I think a painting a day for a week would be very helpful. Single-day paintings give me more freedom to experiment -- I'm not as invested in them, and I tend to view mistakes as a learning experience more than a terrible tragedy.
So. This week, I will finish this painting. Next week, I will create a painting every day. They won't be as polished, but that's ok -- I just want to loosen up a little. Then I'll go back to working on larger pieces having learned something.
