Work continues on my painting Pilot 6, and now I’m moving into the last phases of the piece. These last few steps involve incorporating the collage elements into the piece. Until now I’ve been focusing mostly on creating an interesting foreground and cloudscape for the piece, which for the foreground area was a bit of a challenge.
This painting is such a labor or love for me right now with painting the clouds in particular; however I must confess that it’s been difficult to paint because of my work schedule and being so tired all of the time. Balancing work and studio time is an essential art skill, one that sadly I’m failing at lately. I work three jobs and find that when I’m not working all I want to do is sleep and rest. During the times that I do make it into the studio I’ve felt the work I do has been flat and not as inspired – with the notable exception of these clouds I’m painting now.
I must confess that my work pressures are taking a toll on me emotionally too. Sometimes I feel like I can hardly call myself an artist because I’ve spent so little time in the studio lately. I try to make it to the studio 3 times a week when my schedule permits but sometimes it’s only two. This compares to the same time last year when I averaged 4 times a week. I’m working towards getting better part time gigs but in the meantime I have to figure out how to solder through the exhaustion and depression to get the work done.
That work is now moving into a new and exciting phase with the collage layers now coming next. I plan to add a magical mid air platform where a dancing fairy Chaka Khan struts her stuff while a floating ship of the line dangles in the background. Around this scene I plan on painting a WWII era air plane, a predator drone, a dragon, an angel and the disembodied heads of Felisha Rexford and John C. Robinson. All this activity will hopefully create an air parade of swirling animation. But before any of that can be attempted I have to finish the cloudscape and varnish and seal the entire painting. I’m hoping with a few good painting days coming that I can finish this piece finally within the next few weeks, certainly by April when it’ll be time to start and plan Pilot 7. Here’s my progress on that cloudscape and foreground:
I’ve been driving my boyfriend crazy lately with my Marvin Gaye obsession lately. I found his sound so smooth sexy and musically relevant right now. So many artists owe Marvin Gaye and his sound a debt of gratitude. I’m thinking guys like Bruno Mars, Robin Thick, and Maroon 5. Anyway here’s “Since I Had You”
That’s it for this post, next I think I’ll blog about what the Trump administration plans to do in cutting the NEA and how it effect me personally. Until then do be well.
Anthony Smith Jr. 