While sorting through my studios, the home studio and working studio, I found I have too many dangling projects...too many copies of "The Collie of Castle Hill" (the children's book I wrote and illustrated) and too many Limited Edition Giclee Prints of Captured-Digigraphs, Digital Photographs and Reproductions of original paintings. I have made a promise to myself to either make use of the things that are taking up room in my workspace or throw them out. With this in mind, I have decided to list some of the giclee prints on eBay. I have also opened an online Etsy.com store to sell small originals and prints. I love the idea of Etsy because it focuses on items Made by the Artist! and not bargain basement specials.
That said.... I continue to do my little studies. I find that I am becoming more aware of my obsessiveness over composition. The two versions of the painting of Round Valley Reservoir illustrates the lessons I
learn from these little studies.The image on the left was the first version of the painting. I thought it was finished ... a quick study.... no big deal. Hah! When I looked at it the next morning, the triangle created by the tree trunks in the middle of the painting drove me crazy. My eye could not leave that spot and it wasn't a very interesting spot to be stuck in.
I painted out the annoying tree trunk. Now the horizontal branches on the far right are causing me a bit of lost sleep, but not enough to change them. It is a 5"x8" study... not a 5' by 8' painting.
Thanks to these little studies, my large paintings will reap the benefits of the compositional errors that would be magnified in the larger works. As I look at the images on the blog, the triangle is not as distracting as it was in my studio. It does, however, block me from seeing past the grove of pine trees. I love traveling into the unknown.
