Art Blog - Carol Anna Fullerton Samsel

I asked for Sam's opinion of Jaguar, since he happened into the room while I was working. [Sam is my husband's nickname.] He's reluctant to offer opinions; afraid it will inhibit my creative process. Usually, though, he only says what I already know.

He said Jaguar was all right, but he thought I wanted to get away from realism. He thought The Red Road Home [an impressionistic landscape], with its loose intuitive style, was a breakthrough; but now I seem to be going backward. He also noted that I seem to do better when working from my imagination rather than a photo.

He's right. I didn't stick with my original plan to produce generalized forms without looking at the picture. I looked at the photo a lot, and worked with a small brush. The combination moved the work toward photorealism. So I went in with acrylic gel and modeling paste and used a palette knife to texture the canvas. Now I need to let it sit a week so the mediums can get nice and firm. I think I'll turn the photo to the wall, so I can't see it as I paint. I'll look at it when I'm nearly done; use it to introduce a few details for effect.

I'm eager to make some small art quilts. Space is a problem though. I'm working in a 121 square foot room, and I don't have room for both sewing and painting equipment. Doing one means putting supplies away for the other.

From An Artist's Path - http://bit.ly/7TKrSu

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