Monday, February 18, 2008

Waste Not Want Not

Pit Bull by Levin
"Gracie Sleeping"
5x7
acrylic on canvas

Last week I mentioned that I would share what I did with leftover paint. All too often when I squeeze out acrylic paint I have some untouched when I'm done for the day. Supplies are so expensive and the paint just screams to be used up. I've been known to put plastic wrap on it and freeze it to use later but on this particular day I wanted to play.

Long ago I textured a canvas with some stuff that looks like stucco but never got to use it for a painting. So with my little bumpy canvas and my 3 blobs of paint I looked at Gracie sleeping in her bed and started to throw some color on the canvas. That darn dog can be in her bed for hours and not move. Why is it that as soon as I start painting a picture of her she gets up? It never ever fails.

Nevertheless, this was so much fun. Due to a very unprofessional and inconsiderate model, I only had 7 minutes to create this little piece. Ok, I know it shows but what a feeling of energy it filled me with. No drawing time or thought about color or placement. It was like finger-painting when you were little. Remember that? It wasn't about the picture you were making but about the feeling of the paint on your hands being smeared on that slick paper. The stuff even smelled like fun, much like a new box of crayons.

This was a great lesson in loving the process over the product. Too often in life we are on a mission to complete something and forget to enjoy the doing. I hope if you try to have a little fun like I did your model will cooperate!

1 comment:

KleoPatra said...

Great work even if it was with leftovers and a subject that didn't have quite the patience of the artist who did this exquisite work. Well done, Lori! i loved that you wrote that it was "so much fun." That is key.