Good things come in little packages....we hope.
As I was thinking about my upcoming Fall shows, I realized I was shy on small paintings. Rather than do what I usually do (think about an idea, explore it, then paint it), I decided I wanted 10 ideas! Reviewing a range of possible painting ideas at the same time would enable me to choose a group to maximize my collectors' selection.
Where to begin. I knew I wanted some African, some other far flung locations, and a good number of North American subjects including water pieces. First I started with the digital photos I have taken. I use a program called iView Media Pro which enables me to view the metafiles with great speed.
(Note: I had no idea what metafiles were and why I wanted them until I started researching for a photo management program. Suffice to say they are reduced files designed for rapid viewing which do not change the original file.)
I believe I looked at slightly over 40,000 of my digital photos. Also, I fingered through the prints which I have referenced and cross-referenced. Since I knew what print references I wanted, I didn't have to look at all 22,000+ prints.
What was I looking for? An interesting subject, good lighting, an inherent story and something which would read well at a small size. Two ideas I decided to make a little bigger with the larger of the two 12" X 16". In the end I came up with 13 ideas and drew 12 of them starting at 6" X 7". Also, along the way I saw some images which sparked ideas for larger pieces.
I plan to work on them one at a time and will share them in upcoming blogs.
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