A New Day, A New Year, A New Era

Yes, 2022. It has been a couple of years of growth and stagnation. 
For me I have taken 2022 to open a new page in art and try oil painting. Spending lots of time playing, learning techniques and what works for me and what does not.
Pastel has been my medium of choice, I think it still is. Trading the messiness of dust for smell of oil, and hazards they impose. Trying desperately to make it work. I love the smell of oil in an artists studio. The hazardous material, not so much. Some of the solvents have an immediate effect, others take a bit longer to notice. This prevents me from staying in the studio any more than an hour or two. I know, and would love to take a longer journey with this medium. Time will tell as to how long I will stick with it.
This last year has been a long one. Lots of downs and what ifs. The journey seems to be ending and I have found such a malaise within. Nothing here to jumpstart. Excitement of doing what's next has been lost.

This painting was the last major painting I did in the first wakings of Covid. A commission piece. Started out super excited but ended in a nightmarish experience and one I will not get myself into again. The piece is 53"x33" approx. and is in acrylic. For me, it became so tight and it felt like I was starting over as an amateur. It never got any better along the way because of restrictions I felt I had on making a piece for someone else.
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This piece was the start into my foray in oil. I had another canvas 53x33, so I started an oil of the coulee hills I love so much. I never did finish because of my inexperience with the medium. And knowing I needed to do lots of little paintings to get used to the medium and how it handles.
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These were smaller "getting to know the medium" pieces. 4x4inches

I had started about 10 24"x24" panels and blocked in scenes I thought may work as successful compositions. I had a blast playing with cold wax medium, oil and using a brayer (print roller) as a brush. These are still in progress as well as others I started. None have been completed to my satisfaction. But, I know, I usually go to far. I really should know when to stop. (Top right is a cross stitch not a painting).

Because we still have an active figure drawing group I continue 
to keep my hand in drawing. So I decided to do some quick oil
studies of the local Shakespearian group. 8x10 oil. I tried to keep
these to a minimum 1hour time limit. Some turned out in 20 minutes, 
​some I could never get right. Different day, different mind set.

I wish all my figure drawings turn out like this one. One of my favorites of Joe.
​Approx 14x18.

I know I am so terrible at upkeep of this website. In scrolling through pictures of the past couple of years I guess I have done a lot more than I remember. Even though I haven't got a stack of finished paintings, I have a great deal of practice and I learned a lot. Now it is just a matter of putting it into practice and getting something to work toward. Stagnation is it's own worst enemy. The older I get I seem to get even more stagnant. I have to remember my significance in this world. Perhaps I don't see the big picture but I am learning form all those out there that did not give up on their craft. The internet has been both a godsend and a curse. Information is abundant. Teachers are fantastic. There are so many great artists out there doing what they love. It is motivational to hear them get excited about what they do.