Getting Started

"Chimneyscape II"

16 x 20, Oil on Linen

(c) Lesley Powell 2018

Available at Shain Gallery in Charlotte

It's my first post of the New Year! As the New Year starts, I have been musing about the process of starting  paintings. When I studied at the Andy Braitman Studio, Andy used to say that "The start and the finish of a painting are both exciting, but the middle is plain ol' hard work." 

What happens at the start? It is pure magic! You are laying in shapes and forming the composition. You can see the picture coming to life on a blank slate. It happens very quickly, with every stroke serving as as an overture to the next. The future of the painting is nothing but possibilities--nothing has gone wrong yet! These are moments of high excitement, no question.

If I'm not thrilled by the start of a painting, if I don't have that "Ahhh" moment when the work suddenly comes into relief, I tell myself not to go forward. I need that initial thrill to push me through the middle phase, which, as Andy said, is a lot of hard work. I want the start to be so compelling that I am chomping at the bit to take the painting to the next level.

A good start makes you excited about the future of the painting. On the other hand, a bad start is very hard to overcome, and usually means that the entire painting will be a big struggle, probably not ending well. If you make a bad start, you fare better to simply wipe it off, and make a whole new start. Thank goodness that the oil painting process makes that entirely possible. 

I'm illustrating this post with some starts of my own paintings.  Stay tuned for upcoming thoughts about the finish!