Pictoral Collage

About the artwork :

The one on the left is just a sketch of part of my backyard. It's actually the neighbors tree and fence, but I do love that old tree. It's huge and takes up the majority of the sky and during the winter, when that grand old tree is naked (although occasionally dusted with snow and sometimes blanketed in ice), I can see it's wonderful branches reaching up towards the sky and outwards, as if it is taking a wonderful stretch in the cold weather.

The one on the right is mixed media, water color and acrylic on water color paper. This one, for the most part, I painted upside down. I always tend to paint the sky and background that way. Being a southpaw, it only makes sense to me. I don't use an easel, either. I have the paper or canvas laying flat on the dining room table. (It's a good thing I have large tablecloths to cover the paint that won't come off the table. It's even better than my husband is so forgiving of my messes.)

I started the painting while "watching" a movie on Netflix. Actually, it was three movies, although I don't remember the titles of either one. All I know is that they were ghost stories. I can't even tell you if they were good or not, but ghost stories do make nice background noise. It's so cold out that I can't even spray it with Winsor and Newton's fixative, so I have it stored in a safe place for the time being.

I cleaned up my mess and then decided I wanted to practice sketching trees. I thought it might help my painting technique with those trees that have no shame and have shed their fall foliage. I was sketching that one by the light of the television and the movies Dorian Gray and Frankenstein. I only remember what I was watching just because I'd end up taking a break to actually watch the movies.

I'm such a night owl. I always seem to work best in the dark or minimal lighting, half blind to what is in front of me. After almost four decades, one would think that I would learn to work in the daytime when there's some light...or not.