Orchid {a daily painting}

08 2009 orchid.jpg
Orchid – 6" x 6" (15.25 x 15.25 cm) – Oil on Linen Panel
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When I have extra pieces of primed linen that are too small for stretching on canvas I will sometimes glue it to 6" x 6" masonite panels. This gives me an opportunity to paint on linen and take advantage of the positive textural influences of this support. I use “Yes Paste” as my adhesive because it is acid free and dries quickly.

This orchid is a part of a larger setup I have been working on, and after attempting to paint it several times in this other painting it became clear to my sanity that I needed to take some time and just focus on it. Separate from the other objects in the still life and becoming the focus of this daily painting. Now I can go back to the larger painting and capture it with a better sense of how to proceed. I do this often, if something becomes too much and I begin to overwork an area, I will then focus on specific parts, sometimes completing other paintings or sketches in order to better comprehend the object but also to investigate the what and how I am trying to achieve. In my experience paintings flow and creativity abounds when comprehension is at its highest, it allows me to feel free in experimenting and also to work in a heightened state of energy.