New Start

So, I'm starting a new painting today - 'Corralled' - if you read an earlier blog, this is inspired by the Richard Dryfus interview - and typically, that is how images come to me, one word or thought might trigger it.  The way I'm going to start it is to run down to one of my favorite art supply stores 'Home Depot' and grab a nice sheet of plywood.  I'll then fasten a backing to it to keep it from warping and I'm going to mix a real gesso from powder.  I like doing that, as opposed to acrylic gesso, when I am doing oil paintings because of the way it absorbs the oil paint.  This painting is going to be either 4' x 8' or 4' x 6' - I have to decide once I see it in front of me and I feel how the composition will work depending on those two shapes.  One of the things I love about working on panels as opposed to canvas is I can make those kind of 'on the fly' decisions without having to remove canvas from a stretcher, rebuild new stretcher bars and then re-stretch canvas.  I think this painting will be very interesting and go well with 'Slaughter Run' and 'Never Enough'  - Check my painting portfolio for those, I think I may have blogged about them as well but I don't remember.  The interesting thing that is evolving for me is, I grew up on a farm, and I find it really strange how all of these farm images are linking up in my mind with global political events - even the work I am finishing - Ogallala - has its roots in a 'farm image' in that it is from the dust bowl (see Ogallala).  I am going to try and get further on that today - I'll describe what needs to be done with that on another post.