Puttering In the Studio, Part III

In a continuation to show exactly how many irons I keep in the fire at any given time, I thought I'd talk about my dabblings in painting.  If you've met my parents, you've probably heard them go on and on about how awesome a painter I am.  I think they exaggerate rather a lot, but I enjoy the process and most of my results have been pleasing to my eye, at least. 

I work in oil, since it takes longer to dry and I have more time to mix my colors.  With acrylic, by the time I get the color I want the paint's usually dry.  I'd been using bristle brushes--I started with them in undergrad and liked the texture a lot--but I picked up a couple of natural hair brushes on a whim and I'm loving them.  They hold the paint better and still give me a nice texture.  I like a painting you can feel.  I use linseed oil as a medium, but mostly just to stretch my paint a little further.

This is the one my parents told you about.  It's the only painting from class that a) I kept and b) I haven't painted over.  It currently hangs at the top of our stairs.  I gave a still life to my in-laws and a master study to my folks.  My mom loves this painting, but I refuse to give it to her.  I did paint her a mini version, though.  Oh, and for scale it's 3' x 4' (this one,not hers).

This one I did the summer after I graduated.  It's significantly smaller, about 14" x 18".  I didn't have a lot of space for drying (I had to paint outside) and it was something relaxing that I could do.  I'm pretty pleased with it.  It hangs in our hallway (I moved it for the pic--the hallway is kinda dark).

And this is what I'm currently working on.  It's a two panel piece--this is the first one.  I've got the second one started, but barely.  It'll be a reflection of this one in blues and purples.  I'm painting over one I did in class that was really ugly.  Each panel is 2' x 4'.  I plan on hanging the final piece in our bedroom at the foot our bed, if the hubby lets me.  I'm pleased with it so far.

I find a relatively abstract style works well for me for a couple of reasons.  Firstly, I'm very much about color, and abstracting things lets me focus on that without getting lost in the details.  Secondly, my drawing skills are kind of weak--I have to work insanely hard to get things right.  Somehow, just applying the various colors I see is much easier that trying to get lines and uberrealistic details.  2D work has always been more difficult for me--I think in 3D, so flattening everything out is just weird.  I think it's part of why I find textiles so fascinating--they can be 2D, 3D, or even both at the same time.  There simply aren't many mediums that are that versatile.  Still, painting is fun in the meantime.