“Art is something that makes you breathe with a different kind of happiness.” Anni Albers, a German-American textile artist.
“Silent Acquiescence” mixed media in sketchbook.
“…breathe with a different kind of happiness?” Not always.
Sometimes art can be very frustrating and that’s when I throw all caution to the wind.
I posted an unfinished portrait yesterday and I was looking forward to finishing the painting today; however, it took much more of my time than I ever intended. Finally, as it was getting closer to the end of the afternoon, I just decided that I would experiment with my new oil pastels.
I discovered that I really, and I mean really, like the smooth buttery feel of the Sennelier oil pastels I received before Christmas. They blend together so beautifully.
And I am still loving the glazing and all the colours that can be achieved on a simple black and white portrait. My bottle of glazing medium had not been touched since I bought it over a year ago and now, I can hardly wait to do another portrait with glazing. It makes me wonder about the other art supplies I have not used yet. So many ways to use them with mixed media.
But this painting did not make me happy. Quite the contrary. I was frustrated because I kept going back to her and adjusting the lights and the darks until finally, I slapped on some blue to her face and blended some other oil pastel colours on her face and shoulders.
So I leave her right where she is now and move on to the next project. The time has come to acknowledge that I have learned something new and that this was never meant to be nothing more than an experiment.
And that does make me happy!
