Fun With Impasto, Take 2

It seems like forever since my famous impasto incident took place.  (It occurred while creating one of my favourite paintings, the Sunflowers.)

After thinking about it this afternoon, I realised I shouldn't abandon using impasto just because of one lousy experience.  With a braver hand than heart, I cracked open the jar (literally - the impasto had sealed the lid shut onto the bottle) and fervently went about creating the following minature painting (shown actual size):


Pink enough for you?

I've used a pink gerbera as inspiration, as I had one on hand from a bouquet of flowers given to me last week.  They were given to me for no other reason than 'just because'. (Don't you love that?  Thanks honey! :-) x)

I decided to magnify it a zillion (well, a few) times and try an almost abstract style, plastering impasto petals all over the canvas.

Whilst the painting may not have completely worked, I think it shows some possibilities.  In fact, I'm starting to imagine this concept could work on a much bigger scale.   Can you see what I can see?  Are you nodding your head in agreement?  Oui?  Non?

I think I'll take it to art class tomorrow night to see if my teacher, Ms Kathy can give me a little assistance to fine tune the details of this little artwork and to help me develop my future idea further.  I wonder what will transpire in the next little while - oh how I love a mystery!

Time's Up! Pastel Under Pressure

I decided today that I was going to see what would happen if I attempted to draw a picture in 15 minutes.  Would I create a masterpiece or a disaster of pastellic proportions? 

All I knew is that I had to come up with a way of ensuring that I stuck to my self imposed time limit.  Unfortunately a couple of issues emerged:

1. I don't own a stop watch, and
2. It was time to cook dinner.  

Hmmm..... Thinking.....

A-Ha - Solution!

I don't own a stop watch, however I do like to multi-task. (Why do one thing at a time when you can do two?)  As such, I decided that I would draw a gerbera simultaneously whilst cooking oven baked Fish & Chips for my children's dinner. 

This way, you see, I could utilise the oven's in-built timer as both my cooking and my creating time keeper.  (And because I knew that ignoring the oven's beeps at fifteen minutes to cheat and keep on drawing would have an automatic "Kate burnt the dinner" punishment imposed.)

Whilst the oven was heating, I gathered my supplies - black paper, pastels and brushes.

Once heated, I then put the fish in the oven, set the timer for 9 minutes, ran to the kitchen table and set about creating.   (In case you are wondering, fish takes longer to cook than chips.)  Here's my first quickie picture:



Quickie Gerbera #1 - 9 minutes - Fish


I then put the chips in the oven and set the alarm for another 6 minutes for the chips:

Quickie Gerbera #2 - 6 minutes - Chips

Sorry everyone - the oven timer started to beep that 15 minutes was up before I could draw the floral equivalent of salad and tartare sauce.

(Yes, in case you are wondering, I did have to then cook the chips for an extra 12 minutes following the completion of my challenge to ensure they were golden brown and edible.  A mere 6 minutes in the oven would have resulted in a dinner comprising of Fish and 'Soggy, Semi-defrosted Mounds of Starch'.)

I surprised myself by enjoying this little challenge.  I think it was because it forced me to think "big picture" and not get all caught up in the detail, which I sometimes tend to do. 

I think I might just try it again in the future - any other suitable dinner suggestions?