A New Blank Canvas
Blank canvasses are always daunting an exciting at the same time : So many possibilities to create something great. But also, what if I mess up? What if it isn't as great as I would like it to be? It's interesting how artwork and creating art can be a reflection of life and our own inner dialogues. In this case, I feel working on this particular canvas represents a new phase in my life. And the same inner dialogue applies : So many possibilities... But what if I mess up? What if it isn't as great as I imagine it would be? The only way to find out is to dive in and adjust on the way, knowing that it's not going to be perfect from the start. It can't be perfect. But still, it will turn out ok and I'll learn something new along the way.
I've had this canvas for many years. It used to have a photo of a beautiful sunset I took in Ibiza about 13 years ago. That was another lifetime. A lot has changed since then. And although I still had the canvas, it had not been on display for years. I've been meaning to paint over it for years but could never come up with something inspiring or interesting to paint on it. But I finally decided to give it a go recently and some ideas have been coming as I focus on the next small step as opposed to the final result. I used basic acrylic gesso to cover it up and the idea so far was to create something around the topic of love. I had this idea of adding lyrics of loves songs that I like and last minute decided to add some lines from a poem I wrote last year. Then the idea of a couple appearing from clouds coming together came to mind. I'm not exactly sure how it will turn out but I have a basic sketch in my art journal to get me started.
I've also been playing with reels while documenting this journey. You can see them on my Instagram profile : https://www.instagram.com/mjsketchbook/reels/
 |
| The original photo on canvas and the initial sketch in my art journal. |
 |
| Progress thus far, figuring out the layout of the painting. |