About a year and a half ago, I had a friend over and we were looking at art books. She expressed an interest in some paintings by René Magritte, the masterful Belgian Surrealist. I made her an offer; pick a painting you like and I'll paint a version of it in miniature. She picked out a few paintings and we settled on one, and I started working on it.
Well, art is a fickle mistress, which is shorthand for I'm a big fat coward. I got about halfway done (backgrounds sketched in, space left for foreground) and got cold feet. Months went by. Occasionally I would dab a few bits of paint on the thing with trepidation and then run off to do more important things, like laundry or bank account balancing.
But this summer I faced my fears (and bone-headed cowardice) and jumped back into it. Today I put the last little feckless details in place and it is done, ready to present to my long-patient friend.
And the best part? Now I get to start another one! This one will be for Mr. G, a rooster to put on the wall in front of his desk. It will be another small painting. At some point I want to work in large format again, but right now I'm just happy to keep the momentum going.
(PS to T: I'm planning for something for you and A, hopefully benefiting from the work I'm doing now.)
For the record: this painting is based on "The Natural Graces," a 41 x 59 cm gouache painting by RM. The layout of the "bird leaves" is from that painting; the background and colors are based on another painting called "Treasure Island," but are mostly my own creation, as are the bird details.
(Click on picture for larger view)
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