June 2006

"I HAVE SLIPPED THE SURLY BONDS OF EARTH"

Working title-or rather the way I refer to the ptg (until it gets finished and 'officially' titled.) The canvas is 48 x 60 inches. One night in early summer I dreamed a beautiful 'scene'... lime green shimmery grasses in motion and to the right thousands and thousands of butterflies of every brilliant color imaginable were rising up out of the grass. I knew when I was dreaming that I would have to "try" to paint this and I knew it was not going to be easy.... It wasn't...

1. 

First lay-in of colors.... already 'weak'... not as brilliant as my 'dream'

2. 

More paint does not mean I'm on the right track... too dark... lime grass is gone... I like the thalo blues and greens of the 'sky' but that's all I like and I'm far away from the original concept.

3. 

I worked on the floor on this and used lots of paint and palette knife for texture but the concept has 'flown' away just like those butterflies... even the butterflies I've put in seem 'trite'.. Canvas put aside for weeks.

Mid-July 2006

4. 

Wanting to do painting of an eagle.. Love the poem "High Flight"... Oh I have slipped the surly bonds of earth and danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings....."

Researched eagles on the internet but remembered I have an eagle sculpture so I photographed it. WHEN I photographed it, I happened to have it sitting in front of another painting 'start'. Only a portion of that ptg shows behind the eagle but I like the 'accidental' piece of a circle on that ptg that echoes the eagle's wings.

5. 

Eagle sculpture wasn't positioned well in first photo--wings to long and thin looking and wanted eagle angling into 'sun' differently... so photographed again-this time on table in front of 2 red 'things'.

July 29, 2006

6. 

Block in and colors determined but eagle is waaaay out of proportion. I just 'started' drawing loosely with a brush and I 'missed' it. 

7. 

Literally back to the drawing board.... got huge sheets of brown paper, laid it out on the floor, drew eagle again on paper, gridded it in proportion to canvas already started. But I just cut the eagle portion out of the brown paper and 'placed' it on the canvas till I had it in the 'right' place..then I drew around the cut-out with 'school teacher' chalk...And started over painting....

8. 

August 2006

I photographed my painting thus far and copied it onto my computer. Then I opened that file in a draw program and used my tablet and 'pen' to rework some ideas. I like this 'light' but is a bit busy.

Sept 5, 2006

Trying to find a 'vertical element' to put in on left. Plus some neutralized blues. Too messy and too blue--or the wrong blue... doesn't feel like a fit. Not there yet. These "butterflies" have been a struggle from the beginning.

Sept 6,  2006

I am back to seeing this ptg in my 'dreams'...or while I am trying to sleep... Today I have spent all day gong from the Aug 'tablet' sketch. At least the 'blue' is gone... and now I have RED TREES...and any time I paint red trees, I am usually happy.

But .....IS IT FINISHED? I'll think about this tomorrow, "Scah-lett"!