Another Studio Friend

I recently wrote about the mirror, and how it can be a painter's best friend. I have also been reflecting (pun intended--ha!) on the camera, and how I use it in my self-critique process when I'm alone in the studio.

Like my mirror, my camera is always close at hand when I'm painting. One thing I ldo is take shots of my work during the "drawing" phase. These shots serve two main purposes. First, they provide a different visual perspective. Because of this, they, like the mirror, help my eye catch errors that I might have become immune to during my work. Second, they help me remember the energy of the drawing. When my drawing is going successfully, I feel a little thrill of excitement. I try to keep this excitement going through the painting process, and to avoid losing the parts of the drawing that thrill me. Here's an image of my start on a recent painting:

Having an image of the drawing at hand as I work on the painting helps me recapture the joy of the start. It also helps me correct for areas where I might go astray during the painting process. If I'm liking the way I'm putting the paint on the canvas, I might also photograph some steps along the way, like this:

As I look back on this now, I can see some ways I deviated from the initial drawing. I think I liked the angle at which the left edge of the sheet was hanging out of the basket better in the drawing than in the painting (though the painting is more true to the actual set-up). Ah well, it will have to remain as it is, since I have finished the painting and it is dry. Despite this little "catch", I'm very pleased with the overall result. Here's the finished product: 

"Laundry Day"
(c) Lesley Powell
12 x 16, oil on linen

Stay tuned for more in the "laundry series", and for more about my little helpers in the studio...