Day 12 :: FARM COMPANION :: September Daily Paintings

FARM COMPANION
original pastel, 6x6"
©2016 Kim Morin Weineck
sold

Yesterday's painting was freeing and I was a bit pumped to begin the week with that energy. I used brushes I've often disdained -- the fan brush in particular. Good artist materials seem precious. They are expensive and beautiful objects. If you've read my blog since the onset of this month of daily painting, you know I am trying to have fun with creativity and let my inner child silence my inner critic. Here on day 12 the two are fighting a whole lot! 

When I was studying painting in France 15 years ago (a time I love to reminisce about), one of our classes brought us to the beach where we had to select natural materials for brushes. My uptight younger self (although I'm still pretty uptight now) HATED this assignment, because so much of what was painted had to be given up to this awkward and yet freeing process. Yesterday was a bit about that. 

FARM COMPANION
original acrylic 18x18"
©2016 Kim Morin Weineck

Today's paintings have been made, and I sit here blogging about them and my process. When I see the results here on my screen I get a bit tingly. For a while now I've wanted to paint more of the figure, but geez is that ever an intimidating idea! Marshes you can totally fudge. "I'll put the water there and move that and make this like that" for a good painting. My inner critic flips out if I were to think any way like that when painting people. Painting people demands accuracy and practice.

I've mentioned this story before, but I do love it, and so here it comes again:

Our youngest daughter was trying to do something and was repeatedly getting it wrong. When Tim and I prodded her to try again because "Practice makes perfect" she immediately corrected us with her updated "Practice makes better" because "Mom, and Dad, you can't be perfect!" I love that change to the common platitude. We say it all the time.

For a while, I've been making 2-dimensional artwork in two distinct styles:  loose and slightly-abstracted fine art and tight, detailed illustrations. Sometimes I feel a little right-and-left-brain-at-war. When I get into big conversations about art, I'd say that a day was coming where there'd be some fusion of the two.

Today's paintings feel like that fusion is imminent if not finally at hand.

I love the acrylic more (!!) than the pastel, and that is a major change. The piece flowed out of me, and I enjoyed every moment. Ah, what fun!

The subject of today's painting is my friend and her puppy. Lucky me gets to visit her at their family farm in Vermont and vicariously live through her whole family. This moment was when we were off to harvest some mint while all around us was bursting into springtime bloom. This farm has been on my mind a lot lately, so I would expect that you may see it in future paintings.

PRICING NOTE:  I am taking risks with this challenge. The work created is about learning and  my pieces are experiments and priced accordingly. Each piece is A BARGAIN at only $50 ($10 shipping if you're not local) rather than $125 for my usual gallery-worthy work. Only my pastels will be available at this time. Email kimweineck@gmail.com to purchase. Of course, thank you! 

Thanks for reading! ~kmw