Flyin' with Gray

Gray all the Way

8x8

This past weekend i had my brushes on six different paintings. Some being completed, some just beginning, and some obtaining both in the same sitting. This one, i would be willing to bet, maybe has thirty minutes into it.

I had just finished cleaning my palette and was deciding on which subject was to be my next victim for the day when i walked upstairs to find it snowing outside; and so, i took this as a sign that i needed to paint a snow scene i had been thinking of.

At least that's what i intended to paint.....

As i began, those three large piles of gray scrapings (light, med., dark) started calling me and i couldn't resist scooping into the juicy piles of mud and without much thought, the frenzy began. I started laying down massive globs of paint and with every twist and turn and slide of the brush, i could feel the tension of a structured, hard thought through painting go right out the window.

Unfortunately, the snow painting went out with it too. But, that's ok for a few reasons.

One, it was therapeutic; two, i can still re-do the composition in a more structured and true snow scene; and three, it was a great use of my scrapings and out came an interesting little painting.

I say interesting, for the chunky, sculpted shapes, and broken color are really fun to see - especially up close.

Most of my scrapings wind up in the next painting session, but i don't recall every painting almost entirely with my grays and i have to admit it felt like one of those guilty sins - like eating an extra donut, even when you know you shouldn't.

So, the next time you get the chance, do something a little off-color, and eat the extra donut.