I just finished a large bouquet for the May pastel painting challenge I run, and I’ll get it photographed and posted here soon.
Meanwhile, to switch it up from pastel, I did a page in my grid journal of small collages, using the same steps for each one: paper made by rolling a corn cob, some text, some numbers from one of our Five Crown card game tallies, an old fluorescent ballpoint pen I found, transparent blue painted papers, and opaque blue painted papers, with a wash in places with transparent white (to tone down the fluorescent from being too bilious). I think they are a bit muddy and overworked, but the point was to experiment with a process. It also has clarified for me what I want to do next…nothing so fiddly… oil (outside here) and plein air (soon in Maine).
I share this mostly to encourage you just to move forward and make a bit of a mess– your art journals are a great place to do this– and it’ll give you clarity for your next steps. Maybe you’ll love what you are doing and want to expand on it in a “real” painting. Maybe you realize what you want to do instead. Art journals are perfect for transition moments, or for discovering what colors or compositions float your boat.
Do enough small artwork and you’ll crave going bigger! (I’m prepping to tackle my 48″x48″ boards outside this summer! The weather is finally conducive!)
So check out this page in my grid journal (above), and see each 3″x3″ up close below.
What are you gearing up for?
