Painting in Progress

After showcasing a few pieces from my oil painting class, I've received quite a few requests to make larger versions. It's really flattering and overwhelming at the same time.  I never expected such a response to my paintings, but my teacher is fabulous and has said from the beginning that if the exercises were completed properly, they would look like works of art.

I am currently working on a 18" by 24" piece, which is the biggest canvas I have attempted thus far.  Basically, I am adapting one of the exercises I did in class to this larger board and let me tell you, it is a serious task!  Six hours of work have already been put in and I am only a third of the way to completing it.

Three hours in and a lot left to do..

After six hours, it's starting to come to life

So why is it taking so long? Well one reason is that I'm using all those little strokes in different values to create the shapes. Also I'm mixing all my colours, which is an interesting process on it's own.  Last but not least, not using an easel is definitely slowing down the process.  My mom couldn't help but laugh at me while she watched me maneuver around my table, over the table and any odd position to get the paint where I needed.  I haven't bought one as yet but will need to asap because my back is currently not a fan of me.

On a brighter note, it's great practice and I actually see improvement from my initial piece.  I prefer these colours so far because they have kept true to it's original mix even after drying.  Also, I overlapped the colours to make sure there are no gaps or white peeping through. It's actually has a cool effect in person because the overlapping pieces kind of make a new value and adds more depth to the painting.

So if you ever wonder why it cost so much to buy original paintings, to some extent I did, not because I do not appreciate the art but really how long does it take to slab some paint onto a canvas?  Hopefully this will provide some insight and change your perspective.  It's incredible how much work really does go into those beautiful abstract pieces.