Hi Friends,
I was cleaning out the studio last week, which included removing the plastic on the floor and vacuuming the rug. There were two large unstretched paintings upside down under the plastic that I use as padding when I’m printing on a piece. They’ve been there for a couple of years, and I had no idea what was painted on the other side.
Out of curiosity I turned them over to see what was hiding, and oh my! I love these two pieces. I’m not sure why I considered them rejects two years ago. Evidently it takes me a couple of years to catch up with myself when I’m doing something new.
I stretched them and hung them in the house, one in the living room and one in the bedroom. They look great, and now I want to do more freeform and flowy action paintings like these. It’s kind of funny how my old self from two years ago has inspired my new self.
They’re both 36 x 48 inches, and I haven’t found titles for them yet.
I like the spontaneity and free feeling of this work. I wonder if I’ll even be able to do that same sort of painting now, being in a different place in my life. But even if I can’t recreate this exact look, I should be able to make something interesting. Probably something that I won’t like for another two years!
After that little sojourn down memory lane, I decided to re-do the painting over the bed that I was undecided about a few months ago. I thought I would go bold, with more red, pink and coral than black.
This piece is 20 x 60 inches, and it’s difficult to do a pulled painting of that size. The large canvas gets very heavy when it has a lot of paint on it, and it’s hard to pull it out of the paint on the floor and then quickly flip it over, right side up. This one tried to drag me down into the muck with it, and it took several attempts before I could get something without my fumbling handprints all over the front side.
At first I didn’t like it. I thought it was too bright, too gaudy, and just too much in every way. But I let it dry without touching it, and tried it out over the bed.
It actually looks pretty good there with the bright graphic Marimekko sheets. You never know until you try. I like it better than the black poured painting that’s underneath this piece.
What surprises have you unearthed lately? I’d enjoy hearing your thoughts. You can share them with us in the comments section below.
With love and appreciation,
Cassandra
Isn’t it wonderful how our creations can surprise us! Love that!
My work is similar to yours and I paint intuitively. Trying new techniques and I may ask for your input if you are willing?
Hi Deborah. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Yes, I’m happy to provide input for your work in whatever way I can. Looking forward to seeing your new techniques!