On A Roll

Two posts in two days...if I don't watch it I might start to get downright prolific, and THEN WHAT? (cue scary music) The dust bunnies will proliferate (actually in this house they're dust hippos, with multiple dogs continually shedding every spare hair on their bodies...so I'm actually happy they're only hippo sized)...(the dust bunnies, not the dogs); the myriad of tools laying around the house because we just set them down after a job won't get organized; the pallet of landscaping bricks that didn't get used for landscaping this year won't get removed from the garage so we can actually park a vehicle inside....

::deep breath::

...but I digress. And I can live with those things for the immediate future.

So for now, I'm merrily ensconced in my studio (a.k.a. the second bedroom, the office, the room that all the superfluous household junk gets thrown into) happily splashing paint onto gessoed paper. The cell phone is off. No one is expected at the door. My Better Half is at a class. The dogs have managed to wade through the dust bunnies, and are snoozing on the couch.

Ahh...peace and quiet. On with the painting.

I think musical instruments are things of beauty in and of themselves, a fabulous marriage of form and function. Paul Jackson, who is an exceptional watercolorist, has done some incredible paintings of various instruments, definitely well worth the look. This painting was based on a photo from the Reference Image Library on Wet Canvas.

"Adagio"
7.5" X 5.5"
Acrylic on Canson paper

I'm trying to achieve a more painterly feel in the works I'm doing lately, but it didn't feel like that method would have done justice to the violin itself, so I settled for painting more loosely in the background only. The violin itself just begged for a smooth surface, so there are many, many, oh so many layers of glazing on the violin body. I wanted that sucker to shine, to glow. The highlight above the S hole was giving me fits, and I'm still not happy with it, and the chin rest leaves a bit of a black hole in the lower right corner, but I really like the overall feel of the painting. I may just do a larger version of it someday, if I ever again get the chance to blockade myself in the studio for several days.

My Muse is sliding dinner under the door. To non-accessiblilty, and beyond!