acrylic on panel, 4×4, animals
Available here


Prepping a new oil palette
I need the first few layers to be thin. Fat over lean, so the oil doesn’t crack.

Everything starts somewhere, though many physicists disagree. But people have always been dimly aware of the problem with the start of things. They wonder how the snowplough driver gets to work, or how the makers of dictionaries look up the spelling of words. ― Terry Pratchett

I’m teaming up with my husband on my next few paintings. He’s loaning me some of his photos to use as my reference, which is a pretty big deal to me. I stopped using reference photos over a year ago, and have been working straight from my imagination and memory ever since. While some artists might find it stressful to have to come up with a new idea for a painting without a photo to rely on, I prefer it. I find reference photos to be extremely restricting, and leaves no room for imagination or artistic expression. That, and I tend to fuss over little details until I’m ready to pull my hair out.

Thinking about the old way I used to paint breaks me out in hives. So why I am painting with reference photos again? Good question! My inspiration for this little project is coming from two different sources. 1. Having great reference photos to choose from because my husband is a nature photographer. 2. From a book I’m reading called The Elements of Landscape Oil Painting by Suzanne Brooker. I’ll be writing a book review sometime within the next week or two, so stay tuned for that. 

Okay, now to get to work.