It is the beginning and the end of a painting that
determines its worth. The start should set down a predominant line that arrests
the artist and links the principal features. In today’s painting that line
worked its way along Annabelle’s right arm, silhouetted her breasts and ran
down her outstretched leg.
I made a good start but then forgot: it is not what you put
into a painting but what you leave out! It was a sultry afternoon, my model had
drifted to sleep and I was lulled into painting on and on. As a result, each
additional brush stroke diminished, rather than added to, my initial vision.
Nevertheless, today’s painting came as a bonus. This
afternoon’s session was really set aside for working on the sculpture of
Annabelle’s reclining figure. After an hour, the sheer mental exhaustion
placing one addition of clay against another caused me to call a halt. It was
then that my model rolled over and the painting came about.
Work in progress on my reclining figure
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