Costa Rica 2007
July 8, 2007
I had been working on a realistic painting of a building on the colony for a few days, but became frustrated with the underlying drawing. When painting from observation it is critical that the initial drawing is accurate, or the entire piece will not read correctly. To the skilled eye the painting will seem "young" or amateur.
In response to that, I decided to do another "Six Color" painting, a series that began as assignments when working under George Nick. These paintings work under a series of constraints, using only six colors with no blending, and breaking down the subject matter into basic shapes. Also, the colors used do not have to be accurate, or pulled from life. This painting was completed in about three hours this morning, and with good timing, because as I was finishing the rains came. I spent more time than usual with the underlying drawing, and I am satisfied with the results.
As much as I want to paint, it is time to focus on drawing.
"A collage of blunt shapes
That blaze with feeling,
In the house where we have all spent time:
The geometry of innocence." -Gwen Bindas