"Dream" Canvas

Something you should know about me: I'm a homebody. We live on a 5 acre piece of land about ten minutes from town, and it's a beautiful spot. Living so close to town means that there are weeks when I find myself in town every day - swimming lessons, running errands for my husband's business, grocery shopping, piano lessons, art supply emergencies - it can get busy! Because I am always brimful of art ideas and projects to accomplish, it's really frustrating when I find myself booked up and gone from home a lot. And this week is looking like that. The one thing that will be nice about all the driving I have to do this week is the fantastic fall colours - it is the peak of autumn right now and so gorgeous! On my errand-running today I'll be dropping off my donation to the art gallery's fall fundraiser. I created this 12 x 12 canvas for their silent auction:

I think I started over three times when creating this canvas. I initially had fall colours in mind - gold, rust, burgundy - and it just wasn't working out. Probably didn't help that I started this in the height of summer and wasn't really in "fall" mode. I gave myself lots of time to add the different elements - I didn't want to work on the painting unless I felt fluid in my approach and ideas.  It's a little more "scrapbook-y" than my usual paintings - I am wondering if that's a good thing or if I overdid it. Mixed media is all about experimentation!

My favourite part of the canvas is the work I did with gesso - I laid a thick layer down and then impressed a piece of chipboard shaped like a branch, lifting it off quickly - you can see the impression of one on the right of this shot. I then brushed Golden liquid acrylic paint over the dried impression, rubbing it off the high spots so the colour sat in the crevices. I love that effect! I also had another idea for gesso that I'm going to try on my next canvas. In mixed media, it's important to discover which mediums you are comfortable using - if you are uncomfortable or uncertain with a paint or texture medium, it's going to show in your work and hinder your creativity.

This painting will be on display at Cafe Europa in Dawson Creek for a month and taking silent auction bids. I hope it speaks to someone there and sells well for the art gallery.