Why not now?

So quite awhile ago I finally splurged and bought some Golden Fluid Acrylics. I have been dying to try them since I first heard of the possibility of painting like watercolors with the permanence of acrylics. It would mean getting to paint on canvas and not needing glass to frame. But when I bought them, something came up and I didn't get around to trying them. And then I got a little intimidated by them and felt like I didn't have the time to figure them out. Ha. Kinda ridiculous, eh? There were times when that was true like when I was up against a competition deadline or working on commissions, but basically it was a fear of trying something different and being bad at it. I get so little time to paint that I feel a lot of pressure to make every second count but the thing is, some of those seconds need to be used for learning and experimenting. So I spent a night sifting through photos until I was finally inspired by this one, and decided to give it a go with those unopened fluid acrylics. I maybe should've picked an easier picture to start on or a smaller canvas or something, but the reflections in the photo just were so exciting! Reflections always mesmerize me. It's like they're already paintings, but ones that are constantly moving and if you blink, you might miss the best one yet. 

So it's been sadly very slow going. Even the drawing took forever and after each painting session I've been a little discouraged to see how little progress has been made.

I mean, I worked so hard and long between these two! And you can hardly tell.

I was actually done for the night after that last photo, but when I looked at how little it seemed like I'd done, I picked my brush back up and filled in one more color so there seemed to be a little more to show for my time. 

All that blank canvas is the problem. Filling it in (even if it's just a preliminary layer that'll get painted over time and again) always makes me feel like I'm getting somewhere. So that's my goal for tomorrow! 

Courage

Remember this one I started back at the festival? Well I wasn't lying when I said it made me nervous to do the water. I was so worried I'd ruin what was already there that I hadn't dare lay a finger on it in two whole months! Just silly. But I have a deadline tomorrow and didn't have time to get a whole new painting done so crossed my fingers and dove in. I had no other choice really. The photo was absolutely no help, nor would it have been if I could've actually found it. But I remember that it didn't really work for a painting so I had to make it up myself, trying to be true to my style and the basics of reflection. I think it works but I'll have to sleep on it for sure. Happy Halloween!

Finishing reflection #1

I'm not sure I even know what to say because I'm not at all sure how I feel about it. Possibly done? Possibly needing to make those distant purple mountains less skyish? Possibly needing to break up that crystal clear reflection a bit? 

I may have to let it stew, and see how I feel about it in a week or so after the move. Which means I have no excuse not to be packing boxes. Man I hate packing boxes. 

Reflecting twice over

I complained tonight after finishing that I made so little process. My kind husband pointed out that since I'm doing two paintings at the same time, it's always going to feel like I've accomplished half as much. He's good at math like that!

But you can see how they're the same painting now, right? Or at least from the same source. I like how the shapes are developing. But do you know what's hard? Reflections! Getting it the same, but upside down and tilted in the opposite direction and in the painting on the right's case, twice as long? It's hard. But who doesn't need a good challenge when they're painting exhausted at midnight, right? Nature just makes it look so easy.