Such a simple image: lots of blue, lots of black, and a tiny spattering of gold. This SHOULD have been one of my easiest paintings to paint, right?
WRONG. Maybe it was the tricky combination of Cobalt Blue, Ultramarine Blue, and Mars Black that added unexpected drying time to my treasured water-miscible oil paint… maybe it was the choice of substrate that guaranteed my frustration (canvas – too rough, even with a few extra coats of gesso; YUPO paper, so smooth that the paint lifted right off; and finally Canson Oil & Acrylic paper, too buckle-y)… but most likely, it was the fact that, as usual, I mixed and applied too little paint at a time, and that meant that I had to work and re-work certain areas over and over again. There needs to be a support group for cheapskate painters like myself (“Hi, my name is Emma, and I consistently mix too little paint and then I have the gall to wonder why my brush isn’t gliding smoothly across the surface, and the whole process takes much, MUCH longer than it should. Will I never learn??”).
Anyways, after all that heartache, I am pleased with the final result! I’ll have to make some repairs to the right side of the painting to make up for what the tape lifted off accidentally, but otherwise, this might be one of my favourites. I just never want to see it again! 😉
EMMA PITTSON 