Something big

I am on a 36 × 36 inch piece. It is the largest painting I have attempted in quite a while. It has been a revealing experience so far. I am liking it much more than I thought.

36 × 36 inch cradled panel. Rough stages at this point.

I usually work maybe 12 × 18 inches or smaller, mostly 8 × 10, for whatever reason ( finishing sooner? less paint consumed? limited studio space?). I also have considered marketability, which includes portability.

I had done a very large piece in my early days, when I had a strong bolder ambition to create an impactful vision. One more thing that made sense going smaller: the earlier work will show the less developed level of skill. Looking back at that early big one is just a bit cringy.

This is a cradled panel. I am not crazy about the bouncy mattress feeling of painting on a large stretched canvas.

Smaller pieces I’ve done since then, if exhibited, would include ‘study’ in the title. That way, if it goes to a bigger format, so be it. I always leave the door open for taking a project further.