Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Paint Box


I knew I should never do it - I put black back on my palette and bang its all over the place! It makes it too easy to do darks and I had just got the hang of creating dark tones using other colours. Lesson for the coming days is to remember that black needs to be used with restraint.
I'm a real Brit and drink gallons of tea everyday - when I'm at work its an excuse to get up from my desk. But when I'm at home it's a break to walk away from a painting and then come back to look at a piece with fresh eyes. The only problem is that I then immediately see things that need doing and I put down my cup of tea and it invariably gets cold and I end up drinking rather tepid tea. One thing that I have not yet managed to adopt, from my new American side, is drinking iced tea - tea should only ever be very hot, served with milk, strong and preferably in a large mug. The other thing that I have been known to do all too often is to clean my brush in my tea cup!


I tidied my "studio" today (it is really the upstairs landing)and it seems a little more ordered and things are easier to reach. I have discovered that I have a number of mid size canvases and also two large ones which immediately set me to thinking what I could work on largescale. Time for that journal to come into play to work on some ideas.

One thing that I am going to have to find time for is some admin - Website, thinking about selling prints etc etc..... I really resent losing valuable paintng time to this sort of thing but its one of those things that really has to be done. What I need is a secretary! Or to give up my day job! My to do list is growing by the minute.

9 comments:

Jeanette Jobson said...

This is a great study Anita. I love the texture of the brush. Yes, black can be dangerous can't it? I try to avoid it when I can, but as you say, once its sitting there on the palette, its way to tempting to dip into it.

Your landing studio is very spacious, but I can see the problem if you have traffic walking through it at times. And I didn't realize your chair painting was so large. Very impressive!

vivien said...

lovely studies

and I agree sketchbook/journals are great and a useful resource for later work

Mary said...

Anita, I Just can't keep up with you. Wish I could comment on each of your latest paintings they are all good ones. I have to say though that the cupcakes really got my sweet tooth going. Your convey the delicate taste of the frosting and cherry so well.

Anonymous said...

What fun to see your studio. I am sure the neighbors are wondering what you are doing there, into the night.

Your lipsticks are luscious.

Kim said...

these are all looking quite delectable Anita :)
the make up studies look nearly as yummy as your cupcakes :)

SYLVIANE said...

Anita, it's amzing, I was sure you didn't work outside!how can you find the time to paint, and so well?

Anita said...

Jeanette - there is no traffic through my landing/studio and it has great light in the day time. Yes the chair is large - which is why it daunts me so much!

Vivien - I need to get back to that kind of journalling we did at art school, though I hated it at the time because it felt so forced, I can now see the benefits.

Mary - I am just hoping I can keep this pace going!

Robin - my neighbours on that side are the builders of a new house. They sleep there in the shell of the building, on charpoys (low beds), and if I open the curtains I often find myself face to face with one of them.

Kim - Thank you!

Sylviane - at the moment its a case of finding enough time to paint. I resent going to work because I just want to be home creating, I am up until at least midnight most nights.

Billie Crain said...

Anita, i love the black. sometimes black is just black. nothing else will do. where did black get such a bad wrap anyway?

Anita said...

Billie - I was banned from using black at art school because I used it for darkening colours though they never told me at the time that was the reason they issued the ban. You are right, sometimes you just need to use black. Mostly I will use Payne's Grey which I love.

all artwork is copyright of Anita Murphy 2006/2007/2008/2009