Purple Dachshund
Sunday, July 30th, 2006
Last night, I finished the painting of the dachshund that I mentioned in my previous post. I’m a little astonished at how quickly it went–I painted the entire thing, with the exception of the background and shadow–yesterday. I’ve always worked fairly fast, but it’s rare that I have the patience (or the time) to spend nearly all day on one project. Even when I’m enjoying it, I get restless.
I’m pleased with the way it came together. This is the first time I’ve painted a dog that’s all one color (actually, it’s the first time I’ve painted any dog other than Lucy, a tri-color beagle mix), so I was worried about whether I’d be able to handle the form of the dog’s body satisfactorily. I’m also fairly pleased with the composition– squares are unusual and I wasn’t sure if it would look right, but I think it turned out ok. However, I’m afraid the dog’s tail might have to go– I feel like it leads the viewer’s eye out of the picture and is just a distraction. I’ll think about it a little more and perhaps post it for crit on WetCanvas. Some fresh eyes might lend a new perspective.
The reference photo from which I worked, as I mentioned before, is not my own. I got it from the reference library at WetCanvas, so I’m using it with permission, but I still felt funny about painting from it. The painting is my own, but the image, I feel, is not, which means I definitely won’t try to sell this painting. That just wouldn’t feel right. I might give it away, if I find someone who really wants it, or I might just keep it for myself (and put it where?). Anyway, I just wanted to make it clear exactly what’s going on with this painting. I’m not guilty of plagiarism or copyright violation, but I don’t feel that this painting is entirely my own creation either. It was, however, an excellent exercise in mixing paint and everything else.
(”Purple Dachshund” acrylic on canvas, 24×24″)
***
I’m taking a brief break from painting for the next few days, while I work on the altered book that I made for James last year. I’m adding two new spreads, as well as touching up the older pages. Some of the collages need to be reglued and in places where the pages have stuck together, little bits of paint have been pulled up. (That’s the biggest problem with acrylics–slightly tacky even when dry.) I’ve been told that Dorland’s Wax medium, designed for use with oil paints, makes a good topcoat to keep pages from sticking and to protect them. (Certainly it makes for a more elegant and inviting presentation than wax paper layered between the pages.) So I’ll have to order some of that from Dick Blick and give it a try. Once I have those new pages photographed and posted in the Webshots album, I’ll make a note of it here.
