You Can’t Spell Acrylic Without “Cry”
2020
Wood, Acrylic, Flowers
36in x 8in
I started this on a piece of wood that I had painted months ago.
I used the piece of wood, painted green, for various pieces of furniture in my house, since it was originally intended to be a shelf.
Eventually, it found its way to the back of my closet, like most things in my apartment. After painting my last piece, I decided I wanted to try two different things.
I wanted to mix colors, without stopping, which is a process that I have been doing for years.
I also wanted to try to complete an entire painting in a day, which I had never challenged myself to do before.
When it comes to creating, I often take my time, hide my work, and take anywhere from a week to 3 months to finish a piece, often doing something, covering it, doing it again, covering it again, and the process repeats until I “finish” the piece. To take on and try to finish a piece in a night was daunting, but I wanted to challenge myself to do what feels good and natural in the moment without questioning myself.
So I set to it, I painted the canvas black. Once it dried, I quickly started painting the tear drop shape in shades of blue. I took the shape from my last painting, and went to explore the shades of blue, and how they might transition in this shape.
I quickly discovered what I had forgotten about paint (especially layers of heavy acrylic).
Paint needs time to dry.
With being forced to wait, I quickly realized that there was no way I would be able to finish this piece in a day.
So instead I revisited the piece every day, and added what I felt was necessary, and did not think twice about it.
The final element I added was the dried reeds. I have experimented with pieces that use 3D elements before, but had never incorporated florals into a painting before.
