Sorry for the "quiet"... but we have been preparing for our Gallery Open House... which occurred this past weekend. There was much to be done in preparation for that event... ranging from rehanging the Gallery... to cleaning.. to designing and sending out an invitation to clients... and yes... some last minute "touch ups " to a couple of semi-finished outdoor pieces.
One of the outdoor pieces, "The Last Breath of Autumn" was posted in its "raw state"... unfinished... and untouched since its return to the studio. The top photo illustrates the quick start into the painting session.The second photo shows the mid-stage at which I was forced to abandon it in the field... not because it gave me a problem... but rather because Mother nature "played a dirty" on me! I was deep into the painting process when a sudden and unexpected gust of wind blew down through the creek gap... lacing my VERY wet 20x24 inch canvas with a shower of yellow tamarack needles. In seeing the several hundred alien bodies that had buried their golden bodies in my impasto paint... I decided not to try and remove them while the canvas was so wet. Experience has taught me... where that rash mistake leads!
I immediately took a digital image at that precise moment for later reference and hurried my gear and the canvas back to the van... and headed off to search out a new painting site and less precarious position out of the wind ...and the range of the shedding tamaracks. Lesson learned!
A day later... with the paint set up...I was able to brush away the needles with a soft cloth and dry bristled paintbrush... without damaging the paint surface whatsoever. I allowed myself another hour to finish the piece... adding some changes in the darks and lights... and reworking the water surface reflections and edges here and there. Overall, I am pleased with the final result,as demonstrated in the lower photo. It hung as shown... in the show and received a good amount of attention from several visitors. It pays to know when to leave things alone... when things go awry and to not finish under duress. Resume it after thought and under better frame of mind... at a more opportune time!
The Open House was a booming success...with good sales to kick off the Holiday retail sales period... and visits with old friends who dropped by for a look-see ...a visit and in a couple of cases... a few took home one or more of my "children" to live with them... a high honour for "Me"!
Good painting...much pleasure... and sales to all!
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