Sunday 8 September 2013

Day 8 - Yellow Capsicum

                                          Acrylic on board 15cm x 15 cm (6" x 6")

Last night I promised myself that I would whip up a quick painting in the morning so I would have time to write in the afternoon. Well, I didn't even get up until after 9.30am and for reasons too long-winded to go into, I had to dispense with the photo reference I had chosen the night before. Luckily I recalled taking a photo last year of a rather fetching yellow capsicum which I thought would make for a quick and easy painting. I trawled through my photos, located it, and was itching to begin. Then I remembered that I hadn't had breakfast yet - and there was no milk in the house! So I whizzed out to the supermarket, had breakfast and then finally I was ready to begin.
  It was now 12.30 and I only had a half hour window before I was due to walk to a cafe with my daughters for a spot of lunch (Eeergh, I'd only just eaten breakfast!). I was bold enough to think that I'd be able to paint that capsicum in no time at all and that the time constraint would force me to loosen up. I had seen on Mo Teeuw's  post last night that she had created a stunning beach scene in 10 minutes flat when under extreme pressure and I was mightily impressed. "I want me some of that" I thought, and I really thought it was in the realms of possibility for me! For some inexplicable reason - which flies in the face of all factual evidence - I still have this deluded idea that an easy subject matter actually exists.

I painted like fury for half an hour, but it wasn't looking good, so I made the girls cool their heels for another 10 minutes or so until I accepted that I wasn't going to convince anybody that it was an anatomically correct capsicum at this stage.
The weather was great and we had a lovely walk to the cafe and back, then it took me another hour of painting on our return before I felt happy with it. I had come very close to scrapping it when I hadn't been able to make it work in my unrealistic allotted time. But then I realised that most of my paintings look like duds for the first hour or so but they usually morph into something respectable if I put more time and effort into them. Maybe it's just not in me to paint faster and looser and I just need to be more patient and work to my strengths. In the end I still finished it in under 2 hours and I probably wouldn't have been able to accomplish that a year or so ago. I guess it all comes down to practice, practice, practice!

Oh yes, It's now 6.20pm and I haven't got onto dinner yet, so it's not looking good for my writing!

2 comments:

  1. Haha - we all have days like that - well I know I do anyway - having one a bit like that today in fact! Love your eventual yellow capiscum, the 30 day challenge is great - so far I'm keeping up but back in work tomorrow so things will be much more difficult after that!

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  2. Thanks so much Sharon! I love the theme you are running with for this challenge. Good luck with it all once you are back at work!

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