Works in Progress

Canvas Reclamation Project

Several months ago I went to visit my parents for my mum's birthday party. Nick and I get there a little bit late, so all of my parents friends are already there, clustered in the kitchen and sunroom. I walk into the kitchen to say hello, turn to say something to Nick who had been behind me, and my eyes rest on the horror of one of my painting one still-lifes plastered to the wall - the only art in a beautifully redone kitchen.

Now even if the painting technique itself was fine, this was a STILL LIFE. A random conglomeration of objects chosen by my professor to offer as wide a range of colors and textures as possible. It had fake fruit and pink fluffy stuffed animals side by side with some coke cans and a fry basket and ribbon. It made for good practice - but not good art. Until then it had safely resided in the basement, kept only by virtue of the fact that the canvas itself could be used again someday.

I was horrified.

So at Christmas I took it off the wall with the promise that I would paint something new to go there. You know, something that was actually worth looking at.

So since then I've been working on the canvas. It's kind of a nightmare to get an already painted canvas ready for another painting. A whole lot of sanding and gessoing. Coat of white gesso, let dry, sand, coat of white gesso, let dry, sand, and on, and on. I think I'm getting close to where I can actually start painting properly. At least I hope so, cuz we're probably going to visit my parents again this week or next, and I would really like to have it done by then.