Art School Memories

Working on this little piece this morning is bringing it all back: the smell of oil paint and turpentine; the dazzling Spring light; the draftiness of the open windows in the aged and paint-splattered third floor painting room; trying to coax our brushes to articulate what we wanted to say; the arcane thrill of seeing that if we placed a dark curved stroke, just so, next to that brownish area, we could create the illusion of a concave spoon bowl. It feels so good to have those memories and to feel confident about the placement of the paint. This is of course in sharp contrast to the little sky painting I was working on an hour ago! But it feels so right. I am a happy painter this morning.

Mocha Treat, Guilty Pleasures Series, © 2019, work in progress (click on image for larger view)