It’s been a rough week.  Not much time for artistic endeavors.  My daughter is on mid-winter break and my 3-year-old son has been sick for several days.  So, I thought I’d share this painting that I finished last week.

It started out as a wooden board that had papers collaged all over it.  I did this partly because the wood grain can be hard to paint over.  Also, I like the textures and patterns that peek through when it’s painted.  I randomly covered the paper with paint, and stared at it for a long time, waiting for shapes to emerge.  I saw some marks that looked like they could be antlers, and the face of a deer.  So I outlined these, and drew a general outline of a body.  As I started to play more, I became bored with the idea of just a deer, so I merged the features of a woman with the animal.

Sometimes I have a clear plan from the start when I paint, but I like the challenge and surprises that not having a plan can bring.

Unfortunately, I don’t have photos from the earliest stages, but you can still see the progression here:

shapes emerging

the ugly teenager phase

getting closer