Starting from the Beginning

I believe it is very true that the best way to master something is to try to teach someone  the steps involved in the process.  For those, like me, who may tend to get a little out of focus at times, describing or teaching a task will crystallize the thought process like nothing else.  When I paint, I always imagine my mother standing over my shoulder.  She has historically always asked me to explain the unexplainable in my life.  As I begin a painting, I ponder the decision of the underpainting color I have chosen.  I use masonite boards about 3/8” thick cut into various sizes depending on the subject matter.  First I prime the boards with a water-base primer, and then, depending on what I choose to paint, I pick an all-over color to use as a base color for the painting.  This will give depth, luminosity, and mood to a painting.  How do I choose?  I haven’t got a clue, Mom.  It’s probably tied to color composition or my particular mood at the time.  All I know is it works.  I wish I had some paintings from a time before I underpainted to illustrate the difference.  “Mom, do you know where any of those might be?” Of course she does.

Anyway, as in life, leave something peaking out, not quite visible…but something that hints at the emotion under the surface.