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Waiting for Supper, 18” x 35”, oil on canvas, 2010.
All works by Patricia Watwood.
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Hello! I am delighted to begin this new venture with Artist Daily and start an ongoing conversation about my painting process and my thoughts on art. Most of my blog posts will tell you about what I am up to in the studio: the projects I am working on, the materials I am using, maybe a great new paint I found, oil painting tips I want to share, and my struggles and (I hope) triumphs.
I will try not to sugar coat the picture too much—making an oil painting can take a long time, with rather a large part of it being failing, fixing, and trying again. I hope to show that the learning curve never ends, but then, neither does the possibility for revelation and growth.
Occasionally, I may digress into other territory—a great painting I want to share, a book on art I have been reading, or some other source of inspiration that I hope will enrich our conversation. My aim is to give you a window into my working life, to share my knowledge about my craft, and my thoughts about what motivates me to make art.
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Fate, 35” x 24,” oil on canvas, 2010. |
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Creation, 36” x 28”,
oil on canvas, 2006. |
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Last summer, I was dwelling on the fact that if I am very lucky, I will make about 500 paintings in my life. Tops. (Consider that with Vermeer, we only have 36 preserved paintings!) With that finite number in mind, what do I want those 500 to be? I spend one or two months on my larger finished paintings, and my studio time is becoming more and more precious, hemmed in by the many demands of a full (blessed) life. How do I make the most of the 500 pictures I will make? Well, clearly I was going to have to do some planning. Over the next few weeks, I will share how my plans are unfolding.
So, I look forward to getting to know you, too. Share your comments, queries, and burning questions about
oil painting techniques. And I hope you will follow with me on this journey through studio practice and a life in art, and find something useful to take to your own work.
~Patricia
For more painting instruction from Patricia, check out her latest DVD, Figure Painting: Realistic Skin Tone.