Day 27. Put a Bird on it

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“Blue Blur” 6×6, oil on canvas [creativ_button url=”https://denisehopkinsfineart.com/product/blue-blur-6×6-oil-canvas/” icon=”” label=”Buy Now” colour=”blue” colour_custom=”” size=”medium” edge=”straight” target=”_self”]

Still a bird. 

But I had some big plans for this one– my initial thought was to create an entirely abstracted painting from the bright blue, dark blue, and then orange horizontal stripes that make up the bird. I was going to leave space between those strokes and see what happened. 

Normally, I would sketch the bird shape with some thinned burnt sienna over a red wash. But this time i just started painting those streaks I mentioned before. I got so into it I forgot my original intention of abstracting so much that the viewer wouldn’t necessarily see a bird at all. So, I’ve finished this one but I think I might give it another go keeping more in line with my original idea.

My friend Rebekah is writing short character sketches for 31 days in preparation for a novel she is developing. She recently shared with the 31 group part of the first chapter which she ended mid-sentence– a technique she said she learned as a way to make it easier to get back into it the next day. 

I’ve been doing that too– leaving not only my paintings almost, but not quite finished, but also my ideas. If I had to wake up each of these 31 days and decide what I was going to work on, I’d probably have four paintings total to show for it. It’s day 27 and part of me thinks “already?” and the other part thinks “it’s still not over?” Either way, I wouldn’t make it without leaving something undone and ready for me each morning in my studio.

My other trick? When in doubt, put a bird on it. 

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