| Being a painter/artist
is a discipline not unlike a regular 9-5 job for me. Except that
my day generally starts at 8 am, when I climb the stairs to my loft, sit
down at my easle and begin painting. I work in four major media,
at different times. I paint seascapes in oil using brush and palette
knife on stretched canvas. My studio has a good supply of ready canvases
stacked against a wall. The oil paint may be already laid out, or
I may start fresh with a limited range of colors.
"My studio has a good supply of ready canvases stacked
against a wall."
I listen to music as I paint. Around
noon I take a lunch break and then resume painting until 3:30 or 4 pm,
at which point I am "creatively" spent. The rest of the afternoon/evening
is dedicated to computer work.
The same routine applies to the work I do
in watercolor, gouache , or pastel, with subtle variations (In summer,
I paint out doors as often as the weather allows). The plein aire
work is especially suited to pastel.
Pastel is made with a fine clay "binder" to
hold the dry pigment |
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together and in the process of painting dust
is released into the air. Inside or out, I wear surgical gloves (to
protect my hands and keep them clean) and mask (to avoid getting fine dust
particles in my lungs).
Watercolor is my media of choice for flowers.
The delicate nature of the nearly translucent
"Watercolor is my media of choice for flowers."
petals can best be captured with this media. The other water-based
paint I use is gouache (say "GWASH"). It is opaque watercolor.
I use it thick and paste like for a rich textured look.
The gouache paintings I do are generally more
impressionistic. However, gouache can be used in such fine detail
as airbrushed illustrations.
I'm never quite sure when I go to my loft
which of the painting types will fill my day. But doing what I have
always wanted to do, and choosing the hours I want to do it, is the best
job in the world. Wouldn't you agree?
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