Here’s another study (unfinished) that I did during that wonderful Maggie Siner workshop awhile back. Maggie wanted us to be very definite in matching colors and then put a big juicy stroke in the MIDDLE of the shape we were working on.
Terracotta Pot, White Cat & Dino on Pig-shaped Cutting Board. Unfinished. Oil on Linen.
Never put your first paint stroke next to an edge, she says, or you’ll be tempted to paint the object rather than the shape. Maggie gave us a wonderful motto to paint by: Great shapes, not great objects, make a good painting!
Wise words indeed! I love the idea of putting a big stroke of paint right in the middle. I will have to remember that next week when painting in DC….
Isn’t that a good one? You can see I scrupulously followed it! All these random swipes here & there, but, as she says, let the viewer do some of the work – they like it better that way. And it does still ‘read’, right?
Right!