Productive Weekend

Mounting thin gessoboard panels

What a productive few days. I have been stretching canvases, varnishing paintings and I have finally finished the moroccan tanneries! It had been hanging on the wall in our apartment for a few weeks and every time I sat and looked at it I could see all the little things that needed changing, so today I finally made it work. You can see the finished version on my website by clicking HERE.

I have also been working out how to hang the thin 1/4 inch gessoboard panels (like the ones I used in the mothers day paintings) directly on the wall as I have a customer who would prefer not to frame them... I found a solution in the small art boards that have the pre-drilled slot in the back for hanging on a screw. I painted them black to make them less noticeable and then glued one to the back of each of my gessoboard panels. It seems to have worked really well and gives a lovely 3D effect as it makes the board stand 3/4" off the wall so you get a slight shadow.

Tanneries

I'm keeping going with the Moroccan tannery painting as I'm in the flow of it now.  As always it's tending to lean to realism slightly more than I had planned and I have to keep reminding myself not to paint too tightly and in so much detail.  I am in love with the colours though and because it is 3 feet square I think it is going to have real impact.  Can't wait to finish it.

Change of Scene

After a disastrous day yesterday I thought I'd take a break from flowers and started a completely new painting as part of my Moroccan series.  I was so inspired by this scene as there is so much interest and colour to entertain the eye.  I remember standing at the edge of the tanneries and being given eucalyptus to hold against our noses to stifle the smell of animal carcases in the heat... It didn't work very well and we politely refused the offer of yet another mint tea as the need to escape the smell was too great! I love how this this painting is developing with the bright pops of colours in the dye vats but I need to remember to complete the under painting before I get carried away with too much detail.