Chairs, Chairs, and More Chairs

Sometimes I like to pick one thing and paint it multiple times. I think it's a good exercise in seeing, as in, each time you paint the object, you see something different that you may not have caught the first time. Today I painted a chair...twice. I like this chair because it's paint is chipped which makes it much more interesting that just your average chair. I painted it on small pretty small canvases (6"x6" and 4"x6") that I collaged old paper on and then stained with a raw umber. It gives the painting a nice surface to sit on and it makes me happy since I really don't like the texture of canvas and hate when the weave shows through. The paper gets rid of that and adds some interesting texture and "roughness" that I like. I think it's a good look.

I think this painting needs a horizon line so that the chair doesn't look like it's floating.

I only worked on the second chair for about a half hour since I had to run home to meet my tax accountant. I will probably spend an hour tomorrow on it since I think it could look better with a little more work. It's really still in the underpainting stage. I will probably paint this chair a few more times tomorrow and then move on to a different object on Monday.

On a side note...I am extremely excited about signing up for some classical realism painting and drawing classes with Sadie Valeri. The woman is an amazing painter and I am excited to learn from her. I am self-taught and don't have any art training other than the occasional encaustic workshop. I am starting to feel like I need to take my work a step further and that I have gone as far as I can go on my own. These classes will help me propel my work to a new level and I'm excited about it!! Unfortunately the classes don't start until the Fall so in the meantime, I'll keep painting and figuring things out on my own.