Painting Cozy

Experimenting with knitted elements

Paintings

Top painting is in progress, you can see the underpainting in the left corner. Bottom painting still needs some work, this one has been about 2 sessions.

Will Update

Worked on this for 2 more sessions. The color is greyed out in the scan, it is MUCH more brilliant in life.

Fever induced Lucidity

As I was showering today I had a thought. I have been wrestling with how things tie together. I am a painter in oils, egg tempera, and ink. I make and use pastels. I draw with pencil and charcoal. I knit, sew, cook, and dye yarn. It is not just MAKING. It is decision making. I have an internal monologue when I work. "Make this color warmer, or add more white"...I am literally saying this in my head. When I knit, I think about how the pattern should look. I know the decrease should come at a certain point, and I mentally remind myself to check the fabric at the right moment. I am making decisions. These decisions decide whether a painting goes in a gallery or lingers in a closet. The decide if yarn becomes a garment or gets balled up a hidden in frustration. Sometimes I feel like it is "my gut", that I just feel a color is right. That is one of the reasons I like pastel, just for the thrill of choosing the exact right color.

I do not think it is just me. I am sure professional athletes do this. Our lives are a series of decisions, and perhaps, when you look at my paintings, you see my life.

Egg Tempera

First egg tempera painting