*Much* better day in the studio.

A couple of posts back, I was having real trouble with some works I’m doing for the “Reflections of Italy” exhibition in Wellington in May. Yes, that’s right, it’s only a few short weeks away and I have nothing to go in it – yet.  A good friend contacted me by email and said – you’re trying to do things that are too touristy. They don’t reflect you’re passion and they don’t show you, the artist. I had a good look and she was right. Funny that! I was thinking too much about being marketable and so on, and not enough about what I care about – my passion for process and throwing paint around.

Yesterday and today I have spent hours in my art studio and I have a lot to show for it. There is green paint, in various shades, on watercolour paper, in my hair, on the floor, my desk and some (thankfully well wrapped) new canvases. I haven’t checked the cat or dog, but you never know…

I have completed a 56x75cm, trial piece which I am happy with and have done all the background work for 6 pieces the same size. I’ve also made a stencil for the large poppies that will be in each piece. I love the uniformity that a stencil gives, tying th works together when the backgrounds are so random and abstract. Below is the trial piece, and a close up of some of the detail that forms the background.

So, two happy days in the studio. Thank goodness for honest friends who know me well 🙂

Reflecting on poppies. Cathy Sheard. 2011

Detail - Reflecting on poppies. Cath Sheard. 2011