I have been working on some urgent commissions to Canada. They are for the woman who bought my Shoe paintings, she has commissioned me to do two more larger works with several shoes. one is for a chrismas present for a friend. It is nice to work on something that is pure fluff. no emotional content. they are nice paintings, not brilliant, not ground breaking but fun and colorful. I have chosen to do them in Acrylic as I don’t have much experience with it as a medium and I don’t have time to wait for oils to dry enough to be packed off to Canada! I am used to working wet (of course) and regularly blend my tones on the canvas. Acrylic does not work in traditional techniques, so I have enjoyed practising different techniques.

I still have two more assignments to do before handing in my folio then I start on the next subject. I am not taking Study period four off – I think it is really important to my art that I keep going. it is like I am on a roll and I don’t want to stop the momentum. I keep getting the feeling that each work I do is one step beyond the last. this folio is superior to the last one and I hope the next one is better yet! more importantly I am looking at my art more objectively (not hating it all the time!) and I am not shying away from trying new things, techniques, media or subjects. (but I still hate mark making). Even more importantly, I am finally beginning to Grok that it is not about loving my work or making something that everybody enjoys – it is about making art. nothing more or less. And that is a very Good Thing! (but I still enjoy validation :-P)

This Da Vinci Quote Popped up in one of my RSS feeds and it has special meaning for me.

“Where the spirit does not work with the hand there is no art”

Wow.