On Friday, the grumpies had a firm hold on me, but I was able to shake them off with some help from my Facebook pals.
These lovely souls sent me some fantastically hilarious links (including a video of everyone's favourite cat, Maru, and www.damnyouautocorrect.com), which turned my frown upside down.
After a good yoga session in the early evening, I was feeling extra zippy. So, I sat down at my computer, cracked out the Wacom tablet and Photoshop book (Digital Art Revolution, by Scott Ligon) and started experimenting.
My plan was to doodle around to re-orient myself with the tools and then crack open the book and actually APPLY some of the concepts. You know, like a beginner really oughta. Start at the beginning. Very, very logical.
Three hours later, I hadn't gotten past the first chapter, but I'd created a self portrait, using a photo of myself as a guide (see above). Wasn't exactly my mission, but I'm happy with the result.
Earlier in the week I figured I'd finish off a painting and post it, but I'm still fussing with the pieces I have on the go. So, probably next week. I've promised myself to finish the partially finished works before getting started on a virgin canvas. This will be tough: I've got five, very large, brand-new gallery-wrapped canvases after hitting up a fantastic sale at de Serres today, as well as new paint and a whole lot of ambition.
My coffee table is stacked high with art books from the library for inspiration, including a book about Dale Auger, the aboriginal painter from Alberta. Unfortunately, Auger passed away prematurely in 2008, but he's left behind a fantastic artistic legacy. I'm really drawn to magical realism -- especially when it's got a spiritual edge.
This image is on the cover of the book and made me reach for it immediately:
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