The Fifth Image

The rabbit painting is now either complete or nearly complete. I'll put it up by the tv tonight and take a final scrutinizing look and make and last additions tomorrow. The great thing is that I have now finished the fifth image that I'm going to use for my application to the Society of Animal Artists.

The five will definitely include the squirrel, "Sparkle," the bear cub coming down the tree, "Precarious Descent," the kitten "Badger," and this rabbit painting which still needs a title. Then the fifth one will either be the cat I recently completed, "Aslan," the drawing of the vervet monkies, or the pastel of the three sun conures. I'm not sure how to make the choice among these three. Personally, I'd like to use the drawing to show that I can work in different media, but I don't know whether that would be a plus or a minus. I know that some people think that working in more than one medium is a problem. Obviously, I am not counted among them!

Actually, over the past several months I have been having an inward debate about focusing on one medium. And I suppose if I were to do that, it would be pastel. The pluses would theoretically be that I would make more progress that way. But the minus - and it's a big one - is that it's probably just not me. I really enjoy switching among media. And I think possibly one learns about one by working in another. For example, I was so pleased with the way I could glaze with the alkyds - which I have had trouble with in pastel. So maybe working in various media allows one to become clearer and clearer about which concepts are best done in which media. And this knowledge should, in turn, improve all one's work.

Well, I guess that's that and the decision is made - no focus for me!

By the way, working with the walnut oil instead of Liquin was great with the alkyds. The Liquin just dried to fast with the alkyds that were themselves quick drying. The walnut oil vastly improved the flow of the paint but still dried quickly enough that I could continue painting the next day. Of course I paint in pretty thin layers.

I feel good that this painting is done (or will be tomorrow) and I can get my application in early (for a change!)

P.S. My plan for proceeding so methodically with this painting just didn't work out, and I don't think it's work trying to figure out why. The search for a "method" was an interesting concept that didn't pan out - at least not this time!