Finishing
I’ll punch up a few areas of this painting but it is nearing completion. The orange board below is the underpainting for the next piece. I put a couple of thin coats of casein on the board before starting my drawing.
Casein is such a slow medium for me. It seems that the physical painting takes a long time and that I do more pondering before I paint. I’m comparing to watercolor here, my medium of about twenty years. I thought it was because it is a new medium for me but I’ve been painting several years in casein. It must be more than that.
I’m beginning to think that I have fallen into a new rhythm with my painting. I’m not as driven as I once was — I’m actually enjoying the process more now and have more patience. I once pushed paintings out — keeping them rolling along even when I wasn’t in the right frame of mind. Now, I feel more able to walk away for a few minutes and let my head settle.
Consequently, I think I like what I’m doing better now. I’m in a calmer frame of mind and I associate the work with the positive energy. I still get very antsy about the slower pace of work and I question my productivity but I know from experience that questioning myself is natural. And VERY natural for me.
So I’ll try to remain my friend and allow the paintings to develop the way they should. No stopwatches. No guilt. No counting paintings after I go to bed to decide if I’m doing enough. All that measuring —- I’m giving that a rest.
